Viral Photo of Uniformed Marines at Mar-a-Lago Was from Nonpolitical Event

The presence of U.S. Marines in full uniform at a recent Mar-a-Lago event raised eyebrows online, but the Marine Corps clarified to Newsweek that the appearance was approved and nonpolitical.

The images first surfaced on Saturday and were claimed to have been taken at former President Donald Trump's resort residence in Florida. In it, three women in dress attire can be seen posing alongside four men wearing full Marine Corps uniforms, two of them carrying the U.S. and Marine flags, while the other two appear to be holding rifles.

Ron Filipkowski, a former federal prosecutor and prominent Trump critic, who is currently editor-in-chief for MeidasTouch, was among those who circulated the image on X, formerly Twitter. Filipkowski described it as being taken at a "fundraiser" for Trump held on Friday.

However, the Marine Corps told Newsweek it was "a nonpolitical event hosted by a civic organization."

As the image circulated widely on X, several people chimed in, saying that the men's presence at a political event in full uniform could be "illegal." Some also raised the possibility that the men were not, in fact, real Marines.

"It's either illegal per UCMJ [Uniform Code of Military Justice], or they aren't marines which would be weird," former Representative Adam Kinzinger, a Trump critic and Illinois Republican, wrote in a post.

"Military twitter: are these real Marines?" Allison Gill, left-wing host of the Mueller, She Wrote podcast, asked via the show's X account. "Their bearing seems off, but I don't know Marine uniforms."

In a statement provided to Newsweek by the Marine Corps on Saturday evening, a spokesperson clarified that the photos had been taken at a nonpolitical event at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday, with the Marines' appearance approved ahead of time.

"On April 11, 2024, a Marine Corps Reserve unit, 4th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, supported a nonpolitical event hosted by a civic organization at the Mar-a-Lago Club by providing a color guard and static display," the spokesperson explained. "The civic organization, Grey Team, is a 501 (c)3 non-profit based in Boca Raton and they submitted an official request for military support to a community event."

The statement continued: "The request was reviewed by Marine Forces Reserve Community Relations and deemed eligible for support. The event was open to the public and helped raise awareness about military and veteran suicides. The event was neither a political fundraiser, nor was the 45th President of the United States in attendance."

Newsweek reached out to Trump's office via email for comment on Saturday afternoon.

Cary Reichbach, founder of Grey Team, told Newsweek the organization always has active duty or reservists at their functions, saying they find it helps bridge the gap between civilians and the military at a time when less than 1 percent of the population serves. Service members who attend fundraisers also might tell other service members about the organization, raising awareness for service members who may need help.

"I really felt sorry for the Marines who were at the event because they were ridiculed and they were just following orders," Reichbach told Newsweek. "Having a color guard at Mar-a-Lago seemed like an absolutely normal thing to do since we had the same Marines a week earlier and they did the exact same thing. That was okay but this time it wasn't based on who owns the venue."

Since Grey Team receives no federal funding, Reichbach said they rely on donations and fundraising to help service members. He says they have helped 800 service members since their founding in 2016 and everything is complimentary.

"We did better [in fundraising] this year than we did last year and it's enabling us to expand our program and increase access," Reichbach said.

With fundraising being so critical, keeping the costs of the actual event low means having more money to help service members. So, Reichbach said they choose venues that are willing to give substantial discounts, can help with exposure to a new audience of potential donors and is "empathetic to our needs."

Under Department of Defense (DOD) regulations, active-duty military members are not prohibited from attending political events if they choose to, but they are not allowed to do so in their uniforms.

"It is DOD policy to encourage members of the armed forces to carry out the obligations of citizenship while keeping with the traditional concept that members on active duty should not engage in partisan political activity," the regulation reads.

"All members of the armed forces, including active-duty members, members of the reserve components not on active duty, and retired members are prohibited from wearing military uniforms at political campaign or election events."

Correction, 4/13/2024, 9:56 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with information about the photographed Marines provided by the USMC.

Update, 4/14/2024, 11:42 a.m. ET: The headline was changed.

Update, 4/15/2024, 8:25 a.m. ET: This story was updated for context and accuracy.

Update, 4/15/2024, 8:49 a.m. ET: This story was updated to reflect that Grey Team was contacted for comment.

Update, 4/15/2024, 2:28 p.m. ET: This story was updated to include comments from Cary Reichbach, founder of Grey Team.