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MIAMI, Fla. (CC) - Mar-a-Lago, former President Donald Trump's official residence in Palm Beach, Florida hosted a same-sex marriage between John Sullivan and Dan Medora on February 23 as exclusively reported by Breitbart.
Will it hurt his support among evangelical Christians? Time will tell. The Christian Commander is monitoring the situation closely and will provide updates and further reports.
Mar-a-Lago is Spanish for "Sea to Lake." The Trump family estate was swamped by a sea of FBI agents reportedly looking for classified documents in what some called a search and others a raid on August 8, 2022.
The manor house is a sprawling 126-room, 62,500 square-foot private mansion and a landmark in the National Register of Historic Places. The Donald J. Trump Grand Ballroom inside the compound is known for accommodating extravaganzas, galas, bar/bat mitzvahs, other events and now same-sex weddings.
The mansion is minutes away from the embattled Republican leader's Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach that offers private memberships and dining.
The same-sex marriage that the residency hosted was successfully scheduled due to the efforts of Mar-a-Lago's club members Bill White and Bryan Eure who contacted Trump and his organization.
Some Christians, Republicans and conservative organizations through social media platforms expressed disappointment and anger with the fact that Trump allowed a same-sex marriage to take place at his Florida home. Evangelicals have proven to be one of Trump's most loyal group of supporters.
Same-sex marriages are protected under state and federal law. Trump and his family could have possibly faced litigation had his Palm Beach estate refused the request to help plan the marriage feast.
In 2022 the Respect for Marriage Act signed by President Joe Biden repealed the Defense of Marriage Act (1996). The latter defined marriage in the US as a lawful union between one man and one woman. States were granted the right of refusal to honor same-sex marriages that were adjoined in other states.
The DOMA was overturned and declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court's decisions in United States v. Windsor (2013) and Obergefell v. Hodges (2015). Same-sex marriage was legalized nationwide on June 26, 2015.
The Republican Party's 2016 platform expressed the biblical declaration that marriage is a union between one man and one woman. The GOP that year denounced the Supreme Court's opinions on same-sex marriage.
Former President Barack Obama's viewpoints evolved from being opposed to same-sex marriage in 2008 to being in favor of it by the time he left the White House in 2016.
President Trump sought to avoid speaking about same-sex marriage as much as possible during his years in office.
Sullivan and Madora met him at Mar-a-Lago after he returned from the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) that was was held last month at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in the nation's capital.
“So he’s walking by. He looks over he says, ‘Hello, everyone, good to see you.’ And I said, ‘President Trump, we just want to say thank you for allowing us to host our beautiful wedding at Mar-a-Lago,'” Sullivan said.
He is the Tennessee Log Cabin Republicans' vice chair and treasurer. The TLCR's website states that its organization is the nation's largest Republican consortium dedicated to representing conservative members of the LGBT community. The group takes credit for vanguarding the "fight" for equal rights within the Republican Party.
"Log Cabin Republicans of Tennessee are LGBT Republicans and their straight allies who support equality under the law for all, free markets, individual liberty, limited government, and a strong national defense," the website declares.
Sullivan declared his happiness both with the festivities and with Mar-a-Lago's staff.
“We got to know a lot of people and when we had the actual ceremony, [as we were] at the top of the stairs getting ready to come down, the entire staff was lined up, and they were smiling. And they were coming out to us afterwards congratulating us the whole weekend,” Sullivan said.
“They shared a lot of personal stories with their experience with President Trump and the way that he treats them and they told us, ‘It’s a shame that people can’t see beyond the lies told about Trump and to know the real man, that takes care of people.' It definitely shows that it’s not a place of discrimination.” Sullivan added.
While Trump in the last few weeks maybe added many LGBT voters to aid his run for the White House, it remains to be seen where his place is now going forward with his Christian base. He has for some eight years withstood what he calls a political "witch hunt" since he emerged victorious as the least likely presidential candidate in the crowded and politically experienced GOP nominee pool.
He is the Republican Party's presumptive nominees for the 2024 general election in what could easily be a political rematch for the ages against Biden.
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Make your opinion count. Tell us what you think. Will the same-sex marriage hosted by Trump's Palm Beach estate diminish his previously almost unwavering support among evangelicals?
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Reginald Spann is the Publisher and Senior Content Editor of both The Christian Commander and Seven Angels Sentinel. He has been writing and editing professionally for over 20 years and is the author of the book: The Healing of a Nation.
You may contact him through our Partnership page at christiancommander.com
No. His base supports him no matter the situation and circumstances.