Christian Artist Vanessa Horabuena Details Surreal New Year’s Eve Experience Auctioning Jesus Portrait at Trump Event

Christian artist Vanessa Horabuena described Thursday that having her work auctioned by President Trump at the Mar-a-Lago New Year’s Eve gala was an incredible experience.

Horabuena said she created a piece on the spot and felt God’s presence. “As I’m creating, I’m also worshipping God,” she stated.

The artist painted a portrait of Jesus live on stage. Trump then auctioned the finished work to an unidentified audience member for $2.75 million. The proceeds were slated for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and a local law enforcement agency.

“It was an incredible experience,” Horabuena said. “Right before I started to paint, President Trump looked at me and said, ‘I want you to have fun.’ And so I started.”

“The worship music started, and I just started to pray and just speak to the Lord and say, ‘Alright, let’s do this,’” she added.

She noted that many in the ballroom were moved by the experience, with “grown men coming up to me afterward in tears, just saying how they felt the presence of God.”

Horabuena also described sensing emotions from President Trump. “I saw a video of him watching the whole time, and he didn’t take his eyes off of that, that moment, that experience, and I know it touched his heart,” she said.

She added the entire experience was unbelievable. “It was just, it was surreal, and it’s just what I know God was calling me to do.”

Trump told reporters at the event that his New Year’s resolution was “peace on Earth.”