James O'Brien 10am - 1pm
Inside Trump's Mar-a-Lago election night party as Musk, Farage and UFC boss kick-off early celebrations
6 November 2024, 06:06 | Updated: 6 November 2024, 06:19
Celebrations are already underway over at Mar-a-Largo, as Donald Trump is pictured rubbing shoulders with a host of Republican backers - including Elon Musk.
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The festivities saw Republican backers descend on Florida - more specifically Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, the home of the former President.
Trump was photographed looking relaxed on Tuesday after polls closed across the US, with the businessman-turned-politician seen deep in conversation with Musk and UFC boss Dana White at his Mar-a-Lago viewing party.
Elon Musk and Donald Trump became unlikely allies over the course of his election campaign, with the X owner unbarring the former President from the social media platform and even live-streaming an interview.
Mr Musk lifted the ban after buying the company in 2022 and changing its name to X, with the Tesla and SpaceX boss becoming one of the biggest donors to Republican Party over the election campaign.
Trump's watch party in his home state of Florida on Tuesday evening also saw the likes of Eric Trump and Nigel Farage in attendance, with the latter swapping the shores of Clacton for those of the sunshine state.
We are on the precipice pic.twitter.com/Y4rNLBlL3U
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) November 6, 2024
Reports emerging from the party suggest Trump's camp remain in high spirits as the former President edges closer to the White House.
Donald Trump Jr was pictured alongside Federal Deputy of Brazil Eduardo Bolsonaro against the backdrop of a grand, gold trimmed ballroom on Tuesday night.
Posting to social media, the Brazilian politician also posted a video of Trump chatting with comms stratergist Jason Miller in Mar-a-Lago.
It comes as Kamala Harris' election night party reportedly fell 'silent' around midnight after two key swing states were announced.
As the party continued, Trump headed in the direction of Palm Beach to address supporters in the state - which was once considered a swing state but is now widely considered a Republican heartland.
🇺🇸 Trump conversando com Jason Miller na apuração no Mar-a-Lago. pic.twitter.com/lIz9IngUzd
— Eduardo Bolsonaro🇧🇷 (@BolsonaroSP) November 6, 2024
Trump won two key swing states on Tuesday night, with North Carolina and Georgia the first two to turn red for the Republicans,
Other attendees at Trump's election night event in Florida included RFK Jr. (center), who was pictured smiling and taking selfies as the results were announced.
The Mar-a-Lago party saw a number of Trump allies and influencers descend on the party, as one his eleven children - Donald Jr - descended to the event.
Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Alabama Senator, Tommy Tuberville, and Trump's attorney, Alina Habba, were all pictured at the event.
🇺🇸 Torcendo em boa companhia!
— Eduardo Bolsonaro🇧🇷 (@BolsonaroSP) November 6, 2024
Goooooo @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/WrghKFyOSO
But despite appearances, Musk and Trump have not always enjoyed such a cordial relationship.
Mr Musk, who became a US citizen in 2002, described himself as a "moderate Democrat" until recently but became a vocal critic of the party during the Biden administration.
In 2022, the Tesla and SpaceX chief executive said they had become "the party of division & hate" and confirmed he would shift to voting Republican.
But he remained critical of Mr Trump, tweeting in July 2022: "I don't hate the man, but it's time for Trump to hang up his hat & sail into the sunset."
He followed this up by saying there would be "too much drama" if Mr Trump tried to run for the White House again, adding: "Do we really want a bull in a china shop situation every single day!?"
The former president accused Mr Musk of lying to him about who he had voted for in the previous presidential election - a claim the tech entrepreneur denied.
I’m on my way to Mar-a-Lago! pic.twitter.com/3soe5R3zwH
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) November 5, 2024
And although Mr Musk told a New York Times interviewer in 2023 that he would not vote for Mr Biden, he stopped short of endorsing Mr Trump, saying: "This is definitely a difficult choice here."
He later formally endorsed Mr Trump two days after his assassination attempt in July 2024.