White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have faced online backlash after being filmed dancing to Vanilla Ice's 'Ice Ice Baby' at President Donald Trump's New Year's Eve party at Mar-a-Lago. The video, posted by Miller's wife Katie Miller on X, shows the pair singing along to the 1990 hit, with Noem chanting the chorus while pointing her arm in the air.
Critics accused the officials of being tone-deaf, noting the acronym ICE matches that of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency central to Trump's immigration crackdown. One user described the clip as 'what I imagine hell is like', while another called it 'cringe'. A third wrote: 'Powerful government officials... are fundamentally unserious.'
Supporters defended the moment, with one X user saying: 'For all you liberals... this is called having fun.' The party, a decades-long tradition at Trump's Palm Beach club, also featured Rudy Giuliani, Mike Lindell, Jeanine Pirro, and Trump's sons. First Lady Melania Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were also in attendance.
The event included a charity auction where a portrait of Jesus, painted by Christian artist Vanessa Horabuena, sold for $2.75 million. Trump said proceeds would go to St. Jude's Hospital and the local sheriff's office. In a speech, he criticised Minnesota Democrats, boasted about tariffs, and said his 2026 resolution was 'world peace'.
Tickets for the party have risen from over $1,000 during Trump's first term to about $1,500 now, according to CNN. The Independent has contacted the Department of Homeland Security and the White House for comment.
