Donald Trump Spends Christmas at Mar-a-Lago; Announces ‘Trump‑Class’ Navy and Hosts Gilded Holiday Events

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President Donald Trump, speaks accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, during a NORAD, North American Aerospace Defense Command, Tracks Santa Operation call at his Mar-a-Lago club, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)Alex Brandon/AP

President Donald Trump spent Christmas at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach after arriving on December 20. He played golf, announced a new "Trump‑class" naval ship program expected to include 20–25 vessels, and addressed the recently released Epstein files. On Christmas Eve he and First Lady Melania Trump called service members and children while tracking Santa with NORAD, ended the night with a gilded dinner at Mar-a-Lago, and posted a sharp message on Truth Social.

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are spending the Christmas holiday at their Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, after arriving on December 20. The president traveled to Palm Beach aboard Air Force One following a rally in Rocky Mount, North Carolina; the first lady did not appear to travel with him.

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 20: U.S. President Donald Trump walks off Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport on December 20, 2025 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump traveled to his Mar-a-Lago club after holding a rally in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

In the days after his arrival, Trump played rounds of golf at his Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach — about 4.5 miles from Mar-a-Lago — including sessions on December 21 and December 23. He also toured Palm Beach in the armored presidential limousine known as "The Beast."

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 21: U.S. President Donald Trump departs the Trump National Golf Club on December 21, 2025 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump is expected to be at his estate for the next two weeks, it is estimated he has visited Mar-A-Lago over 15 times this year.Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Naval Announcement

On December 22, Trump announced the creation of a new "Trump‑class" of ships for the U.S. Navy's so-called "Golden Fleet," saying the program could ultimately include about 20 to 25 vessels. Joining him at the announcement were Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, and Senator Marco Rubio.

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 22: U.S. President Donald Trump, joined by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, announced the creation of the "Trump-class" battleship during a statement to the media at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate on December 22, 2025 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump announced the new class of ship will become the centerpiece of his "Golden Fleet" program to rebuild and strengthen the U.S. shipbuilding industry.Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Secretary Phelan said the first planned vessel would be the USS Defiant, described as an 880-foot, heavily armed battleship with an estimated crew of roughly 850. Some of the ship's proposed systems — including a Sea‑Launched Cruise Missile with nuclear capability (SLCM‑N) — remain in development.

The motorcade for President Donald Trump arrives at Trump International Golf Club, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)Alex Brandon/AP

Epstein Files and Public Remarks

At the same press conference, Trump addressed materials related to Jeffrey Epstein that the Justice Department released on December 19 under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. He acknowledged appearing in some of the photos published by the DOJ and said Epstein "was all over Palm Beach and other places." He also suggested media attention on the files was politically motivated, saying it was "a way of trying to deflect from the tremendous success that the Republican Party has."

US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump participate in calls to US service members, on Christmas Eve, from the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, December 24, 2025.ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

Holiday Outreach

On Christmas Eve, the president and first lady called U.S. service members stationed overseas to wish them a merry Christmas and thanked them for their "extraordinary devotion and service to America." Trump also highlighted $1,776 "warrior dividend" bonus checks that were distributed to military members ahead of the holiday.

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 24: U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump call children as they participate in tracking Santa Claus' movements with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Santa Tracker on Christmas Eve at the Mar-a-Lago resort on December 24, 2025 in Palm Beach, Florida. This is the 70th year that NORAD has publicly tracked Santa's sleigh on its global rounds.Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

The couple took calls from children while following Santa Claus via the NORAD Santa Tracker — marking NORAD's 70th year of tracking Santa. During the calls, an 8‑year‑old girl in Kansas asked whether Santa would bring coal; Trump quipped, "You mean clean, beautiful coal?" and later told reporters, "I had to do that, I'm sorry."

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 24: U.S. President Donald Trump attends a Christmas Eve Dinner At Mar-a-Lago on December 24, 2025 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump is spending the holidays in Florida this year.Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Mar-a-Lago Dinner and Decor

The evening concluded with a Christmas Eve dinner in Mar-a-Lago's gilded Grand Ballroom. Reporters noted the president has redecorated parts of the Oval Office with gold accents reportedly borrowed from the estate's decor, including gold angel statues moved to doorways. At the dinner, he sat with Melania Trump and her father at a table cordoned off by velvet ropes.

On Truth Social, Trump posted: "Merry Christmas to all, including the Radical Left Scum that is doing everything possible to destroy our Country, but are failing badly."

This holiday visit is his 16th trip to Mar-a-Lago in 2025; he is expected to remain in Palm Beach through January 4.