Donald Trump Jr. and new girlfriend Bettina Anderson made their public debut at his father’s annual New Year’s Eve party at Mar-a-Lago, weeks after it was announced that Trump Jr. had said goodbye to Kimberly Guilfoyle.
This is the first time Trump Jr. – who also celebrates his 57th birthday today – and his new Palm Beach socialite love Anderson, 38, have been spotted at a major event since DailyMail.com’s exclusive photos.
That came three months after DailyMail.com exclusively the the couple was eating at another restaurant in Palm Beach during a lunch assignment, locking lips with disbelieving guests.
Don Jr. showed a beaming smile next to Bettina as they entered the famous club in Florida.
On the way in, Trump’s father, President-elect Donald Trump, answered a few questions from the press, including questioning rumors that Joe Biden thought he would have defeated him.
Trump said he “wished (Biden) well” but pointed out how far behind he was in the polls and that his debate in Georgia was disastrous.
“He had a chance to do it in the debate and it didn’t work out so well for him,” Trump said, Melania Trump at his side.
The president-elect also expressed confidence in his Cabinet nominees and demanded the release of Hamas’ Israeli hostages.
He reiterated his support for House Speaker Mike Johnson, explaining that the current leader would be the only Republican who could get the votes in a speaker battle.
Trump also confirmed he would attend Jimmy Carter’s funeral, but would not say whether he had spoken to the late president’s family.
Donald Trump Jr. and new girlfriend Bettina Anderson made their public debut weeks after it was announced that Trump Jr. had said goodbye to Kimberly Guilfoyle during his father’s annual New Year’s Eve celebration at Mar-a-Lago
On the way in, Trump’s father, President-elect Donald Trump, answered a few questions from the press, including questioning rumors that Joe Biden thought he would have defeated him.
During his first term, Trump attended the funeral of former President George HW Bush, but not that of Senator John McCain, who did not want him to attend.
DOGE co-chairman and “First Buddy” Elon Musk walked the red carpet with son
Musk carried X on his shoulders past waiting reporters.
Trump Jr.’s brother Eric and sister Tiffany were both there with their spouses, former RNC co-chair Lara Trump — who sang Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” on stage at the party — and Michael Boulos.
Trump’s ex-wife, Marla Maples, also walked the red carpet.
Melania Trump wore a form-fitting and stylish black dress. Her father, Victor Knavs, was not far behind.
When asked by a reporter if she had a New Year’s resolution, the former and future first lady replied, “we all know what we want… world peace.”
Female violinists on pedestals and dressed entirely in black lined the road for guests as they entered the ornate Florida property.
They played songs like ‘Jolene’, ‘Kashmir’ by Led Zeppelin and ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ by Journey.
Trump has been hosting the New Year’s party for years.
This year’s event, according to the Palm Beach Postis expected to draw as many as 300 guests.
Among those present were newly elected Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha
DOGE co-chairman and ‘First Buddy’ Elon Musk alongside son X and mother Maye
A photo of newly elected President Donald Trump (center left) and his then-girlfriend Melania Knauss at Mar-a-Lago’s New Year’s Eve in 2002, along with son Eric Trump (center right) and his then-girlfriend Cheryl Nieman
Country singer Jason Aldean (center) poses for a photo with former President Donald Trump (right) and his wife Brittany (left) on New Year’s Eve at Mar-a-Lago in 2021. In 2022, Trump would announce his third run for president
George Santos (left) attended Trump’s 2020 Mar-a-Lago New Year’s Eve party after losing his first congressional run. He was later elected in 2022. Santos and his then-fiancée posed for a photo with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Vanilla Ice performed at the 2020 New Year’s Eve party amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump had just lost the election to President Joe Biden but was still contesting the results
Previous VIPs include Sylvester Stallone, Jason Aldean, Lou Dobbs and Fabio. The 2020 celebration, held amid the COVID-19 pandemic and after Trump’s painful election loss to President Joe Biden, saw ’90s rapper Vanilla Ice revving up the crowd.
Palm Beach Police Department spokesman Capt. William Rothrock told the Palm Beach Post that no fireworks are expected outside.
Inside, however, Trump’s crowd will gather after a major disagreement among his key allies on the topic of H-1B visas.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy – selected to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency – are competing against traditional MAGA mainstays like Steve Bannon.
As tech industry insiders, Musk and Ramaswamy supported visas that bring in highly skilled workers, while Bannon and the MAGA right argued that those jobs should go to Americans first.
Trump ultimately sided with Musk and even posted publicly on Truth Social about his desire to see X owner at the New Year’s party.
‘Where are you? When are you coming to the ‘center of the universe,’ Mar-a-Lago,” Trump wrote. ‘We miss you and x! New Year’s Eve is going to be AMAZING!!!’
Trump signed the message “DJT,” indicating that he wrote the message himself.
But Trump Jr. featuring Anderson in public at a Trump event will likely be the headline of the evening.
Born in Palm Beach with a twin sister, Anderson’s late father was Harry Loy Anderson, who became the nation’s youngest bank president when he took the helm of Worth Avenue National Bank at age 26.
Mother Inger, 74, still lives in an $11.5 million home in an exclusive part of the mega-rich enclave.
The stately Bettina founded The Paradise Fund together with her two brothers in 2005.
She attended Palm Beach Day School, followed by St Andrews School in nearby Boca Raton, where fees range from $30,885 a year for primary school to $72,420 for the highest boarders.
This was followed by a BA in Art History, Criticism and Conservation from Columbia in New York City, where she lived for another three years before returning home and beginning her journey to become an essential part of Palm Beach’s exclusive social circuit.
Her social media is full of glamorous photos of professional models and vignettes from her life, including spearfishing in the Bahamas, where she claims to be the happiest.
Her profile on online designer store Moda Operandi – where her modeling outfits are featured – says: ‘Her style, like her personality, combines flirty femininity with a sassy sense of humor and spans a wide range of brands.
‘Whether she’s heading out for a night out in a breathtaking Oscar de la Renta mini, wearing a Zimmerman piece poolside or performing at home in a matching set from Cult Gaia, she’s a walking paragon of style.