Donald Trump welcomed 2026 with a glitzy bash at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach where he auctioned off a freshly painted portrait of Jesus Christ for $2.75m and said his new year's resolution was a wish for "peace on Earth". The portrait of Jesus had been painted on stage by artist Vanessa Horabuena, who, the president said, was "one of the greatest artists anywhere in the world". "To me, she's one of the greatest. In fact, she did something last night that was incredible. She can paint, slowly, a beautiful portrait for the White House, or she can paint the most incredible painting in literally 10 minutes," he added on video of the event broadcast on the conservative channel Newsmax. Trump's wish for "peace on Earth" came as reporters asked about a reported CIA-directed strike on a dock in Venezuela.