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President Donald Trump wasnt physically there, but his presence was felt from beginning to end by Republican activist and party donors who gathered for an evening of celebration at the Trump-owned Mar-a-Lago Club.

VIP ticket-holders got a surprise visit from First Lady Melania Trump. The Friday night dinner was held in the opulent Donald J. Trump Grand Ballroom. The Lincoln Day event party favor was a signature Trump Make America Great Again red ball cap placed on the chair of each of the 692 attendees.

And the chocolate mousse bomb dessert was topped with an image of Lincoln wearing a MAGA hat.

In the midst of all-things-Trump, the guided splendor of Mar-a-Lago, and the company of fellow Republicans a combination of people who volunteered time to work in the trenches of the 2016 campaign or donated money to the partys efforts spirits were ebullient

It was a long way, in distance and mood, from the turmoil in Washington, where hours earlier Republicans suffered the collapse of their health care legislation, began pointing fingers of blame at one another, and wondered how deeply the Republican president and Congress were damaged.

Not so at Mar-a-Lago, the resort that Trump turned into a cold-weather getaway when he was a New York real estate developer and now uses as a presidential retreat.

The moods uplifting, exciting, said Tami Donnally, vice chairwoman of the Palm Beach County Republican Party. What we wanted to accomplish tonight was getting together and celebrating.

She said there was no reason the failure of the Obamacare repeal a signature campaign promise from Trump and the Republicans elected to the House and Senate should cast a pall over the gathering. I see the bigger picture, she said. A setback, yes. Something to be sad, depressed [about], no way.

As about 200 people who wrote large checks for the pre-dinner VIP reception mingled in a smaller ballroom in another part of the resort complex, there was a sudden rumbling in the crowd, according to people who were present. As people craned their necks to see what was happening, they saw the first lady.

There was whooping and hollering, from some, said former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley of Palm Beach County. It was exciting. Shes a gorgeous lady. Shes so poised.

Only a handful of people organizing the dinner knew ahead of time she would stop by. She was gone in just a few minutes. It was a surprise, said Bob Sutton, chairman of the Broward Republican Party, one of several people who described the scene and shared smartphone pictures with reporters. (A handful of reporters and photographers was kept far away from the VIP venue, Mrs. Trump could be seen from a distance when she walked up and when she left, accompanied by Secret Service agents.)

She went to an area roped off from the VIP guests, greeted the crowd and spoke to Gov. Rick Scott and the keynote speakers for the evening, Lynette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson, the Trump supporting YouTube duo who appear online as Diamond and Silk.

She was gorgeous. She said Hi everybody, said Margi Helschien, former president of the Boca Raton Republican Club who now runs the conservative group America First. It was a total surprise. It was like, Oh my goodness!

Two attendees said they had a vantage point from which they saw the Trumps 11-year-old son, Barron, outside on a patio.

Many painted as bright a picture as possible over the Republican failure to keep the pre-election promise to repeal and replace Obamacare made repeatedly last year by candidate Trump and the partys candidates for U.S. Senate and House during the 2016, 2014, 2012 and 2010 election campaigns.

A vote was canceled Friday when the president and House Speaker Paul Ryan concluded they didnt have enough votes to pass what some labeled Trumpcare. Helschien said it was a topic of conversation.

A lot of people were talking about it. A lot of people were upset, she said. She downplayed the notion that its a catastrophe with lasting effects. We took a little bit of a step sideways. Were going to regroup. Its not the end of the world.

Sid Dinerstein, former chairman of the Palm Beach County Republican Party, insisted it wasnt a big deal because were winning every day. Bob Sutton, chairman of the Broward County Republican party, saw it as a learning opportunity. And Anita Mitchell, a former Palm Beach County party chairwoman, said it comes with the territory for a party in control. Governings messy.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, who once was in the upper echelons of the House Republican leadership, said it was disappointing and a setback, but would be overcome eventually. Theres time for Republicans to dust themselves off, get back on the horse, and get it done right.

Foley was less sanguine.

I just think it was poorly orchestrated, Foley said. This is depressing to me.

Foley said health care is a potent issue that, if done wrong, could send members of Congress to defeat in the next election. He said it would have made more sense for his former colleagues to have tackled something with broader support such as cutting taxes. Especially since Republicans didnt have an Obamacare replacement plan ready to roll out on Day One.

He said theres at least a temporary price for whats seen by many as a failure for Trump. It doesnt look good.

The people who attended the event snapped up the $300 a head tickets. The event sold out two months ago, said Michael Barnett, chairman of the Palm Beach County Republican Party.

The attendees activists who can form the volunteer backbone of campaigns and potential major donors are vital constituencies for candidates, and the dinner attracted multiple high profile likely 2018 candidates.

He touted the virtues of capitalism after a recent Florida poll found many young people thought socialism is as good or better; praised Scott, with whom he hasnt always been politically in sync; and urged party members to stay pumped up to ensure victories in 2018. Enthusiasm matters, he said.

Scott praised the president; talked about spending a day last month at the White House (He doesnt eat the most healthy food); and criticized Republican rivals in Tallahassee who want to scale back government subsidies for businesses and tourism marketing.

Before Friday nights dinner at Mar-a-Lago, he avoided a small group of reporters. He didnt participate in the traditional entrance of elected officials. After speaking and picking up the Statesman of the Year award, he left early.

From beginning to end, the absent Trump got the crowd most energized.

Early on, Barnett reminded diners that the country has a new president. They burst into applause and cheers.

At the end, keynote speakers, Diamond and Silk, made their presentation in the style of the videos that have made them an Internet sensation. The South Caroline sisters often speak in rhyme and offer a comment and response routine. Hardaway, who is Diamond, says something positive about Trump, and Richardson, who is Silk, responds with facial contortions and brief words of praise.

Before leaving the stage, Hardaway asked the crowd, Are we on the Trump train?

She and Richardson then proceeded to lead the crowd in a repeated call and response. When I say choo choo, you all say all aboard.

aman@sunsentinel.com, 954-356-4550

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