President parties as people protest and travellers are stuck in limbo

Palm Beach

THE news broke just as the fireworks began crackling over the grand estate's manicured lawn, a festive backdrop for the guests sipping Champagne around an ornamental pool: The White House had moved to appeal a court ruling that blocked President Donald Trump's sweeping immigration order.

At airports around the world, the legal tug of war played out in starkly human terms, with travellers from seven predominantly Muslim countries having to decide whether to board flights to the United States, unsure of whether they would be turned back once they landed.

Yet in the cosseted confines of Mar-a-Lago those concerns seemed a million miles away. The guests had gathered for the 6…