At a glittering New Year’s Eve celebration at former President Donald Trump‘s Mar-a-Lago resort, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was captured dancing to Vanilla Ice’s 1990 hit “Ice Ice Baby” alongside White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, going viral for its perceived tastelessness.
Footage shared on social media by Miller’s wife, Katie, shows Trump’s top immigration officials swaying to the beat as the rapper performed his signature track for a crowd of guests at the black-tie gala. In the clip, Noem, whose tenure as DHS secretary has placed her at the center of the administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement efforts, is seen raising her hands and dancing, while Miller nods along to the music.
Katie Miller captioned the video “Vanilla Ice,@KristiNoem, @StephenM ICE ICE Baby 🧊,” indicating that the rapper’s performance of the song at the party was a nod to United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which Noem and Miller have publicly advocated for expanding. ICE has also ramped up raids and deportations since the start of Trump’s second term, to much controversy. Miller is seen by many as the architect of the president’s aggressive immigration policy.
Critical social media users found the video tasteless and “cringe” given the gravity of ICE raids, forcefully sending undocumented migrants to the home countries they escaped from. One user wrote, “This is what happens when you alienate the entire entertainment sector,” and another simply wrote, “Cringe af.” However, some called the video “Absolutely hilarious,” and “Love Stephen’s reaction. He’s trying so hard to party just a little! ❤️”
Alongside Noem and Miller were other figures close to Trump, including Trump’s sons Don Jr. and Eric Trump, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara, who had remained in Florida following diplomatic talks earlier in the week.
The president himself took to the stage to auction off a portrait of Jesus Christ painted on-stage by artist Vanessa Horabuena, whom Trump called “one of the greatest artists anywhere in the world.” He also added that his New Year’s resolution was “peace on Earth.” Opening the bid at $100,000, the painting was ultimately sold for $2.75 million to an unknown attendee. According to Trump, half of the money would go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and the other half would go to the Palm Beach County Police Department.
