As the clock ticked past 11 p.m. Monday, even the strongest of the MAGA stocks in Walter E Convention Center Hall A began to fade.
The mix of political A- to D-listers, Trumpy out-of-towners and die-hard January Sixers who had come to DC and gathered to celebrate Donald Trump's inauguration as the 47th president were on the verge of collapse.
Some gave in completely. Every now and then a paramedic would rush through the concrete ballroom, illuminated by strobe lights, to render aid.
Even the trumpets in the ladies' room complained about the long wait for the new first couple (who would arrive between 7:30 and 8:30 PM).
Suddenly, an announcer's voice cut through the late '70s greatest hits soundtrack.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the United States Air Force Band.”
A shiver of excitement went through the room. The signals from mobile phones and WiFi have disappeared – a good sign, experts say: 'They disrupt the signals. He's close.'
Then: “Please welcome President of the United States Donald Trump and his First Lady, Melania Trump.”
A mix of political A- to D-listers, Trumpy out-of-towners and die-hard January Sixers flocked to DC and gathered to celebrate the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president.
A shiver of excitement went through the room. The signals from mobile phones and WiFi have disappeared – a good sign, experts say: 'They disrupt the signals. He's close.'
Then came a wave of excitement and a sea of cell phones held aloft as President Trump and Melania belatedly took the stage here at the Liberty Ball to gasps of joy. And boy, did these people deserve the thrill.
With downtown DC closed, women in high heels in gowns and men in patent shoes in tuxedos (and more fur coats than I could count) had already trudged several blocks through the biting subzero temperatures from where their Ubers had dropped them off. off. At the gates of the convention hall they found a heaving crowd of people.
It wasn't a 'line'. It was a “sh**show,” said one frozen visitor.
A strong woman (definitely from Kansas, since they don't raise their cattle inside the Beltway) took off her shoes and put on her gloves. Husbands and boyfriends held their places while their grateful wives and girlfriends took refuge in the lobby of the nearby Conrad hotel. Opportunistic street vendors sold hand and foot warmers for twenty dollars each
The swarm circled a full city block.
There were rumors that a gate had been kicked in and that caused a delay, but the truth was more prosaic. There were three balls in DC – the Commander-in-Chief, the Liberty and the Starlight – and all the 'VIP' guests, several thousand of them, were trapped in a bottleneck, flowing through a single gate.
In total it took more than three hours to reach the front of the horde. But once inside…. Well, it was all quite disappointing. Tasteless, triumphant and somewhat unhinged.
Cash bars served drinks in plastic cups, and buffets spread across the convention center's vast hall featured hot plates of lukewarm meatballs, gyozas and barbecue chicken cakes with slices of room-temperature cheese.
A wave of excitement and a sea of cell phones held aloft as President Trump and Melania belatedly took the stage here at the Liberty Ball, gasping in delight. And boy, did these people deserve the thrill.
With downtown DC closed, women in high heels in gowns and men in patent leather shoes in tuxedos (and more fur coats than I could count) had trudged several blocks through the biting subzero temperatures from where their Ubers had dropped them off out.
In total it took more than three hours to reach the front of the horde. But once inside…. Well, it was all quite disappointing. Tasteless, triumphant and somewhat unhinged.
A strong woman (definitely from Kansas, since they don't raise their cattle inside the Beltway) took off her shoes and put on her gloves.
Cash bars served drinks in plastic cups, and buffets spread across the convention center's vast hall featured hot plates of lukewarm meatballs, gyozas and barbecue chicken cakes. (Image: Kid Rock drinks beer from a plastic cup).
The sound system pumped out all the biggest hits from Trump's rally playlists: Queen's, “We Are the Champions,” Oasis's “Wonderwall” and Elton John's “Rocket Man,” perhaps an ode to Elon Musk. A Billy Ray Cyrus music video flashed on the screens around the room.
To the side was a wall of 'entertainment'.
Sebastian Gorka, Trump's pick as senior counterterrorism director, was playing one of two golf simulators that may have been set up to distract partygoers from the quality of the food and drinks.
Jackets that were left unchecked – few wanted to stand in another line – were discarded onto the cornhole sets placed in a simulated American backyard, complete with a picket fence and artificial grass.
Those who needed to relax sat in cream-colored leather armchairs and watched the Notre Dame vs. Ohio State game (of which new Vice President J.D. Vance is an alum).
Others waited to have their photos taken against a variety of Trump-themed backdrops; the desk in the Oval Office, a McDonald's drive-through window from which the president waved, his mug shot.
It was a MAGA world amusement park complete with Americana and kitsch with a healthy dose of hubris.
Wisconsin Congresswoman Harriet Hageman stood at the entrance. Her takeaway from the day, she told Daily Mail, was: “Hope and excitement. America is back and better than ever.”
Another political major – with a key job in national security and who declined to be named – spoke of the thrill of the task ahead: “An opportunity to save Western civilization.”
Texas Congressman Chip Roy was in the middle of it all, surrounded by women in sequined Stetsons and men still wearing their MAGA hats from earlier in the day.
Jackets that were not checked were discarded onto the cornhole sets placed in a simulated American backyard, complete with a picket fence and artificial grass.
Others waited to have their photos taken against a variety of Trump-themed backdrops; the desk in the Oval Office, a McDonald's drive-through window from which the president waved, his mug shot.
It was a MAGA world amusement park complete with Americana and kitsch with a healthy dose of hubris.
When the 47th president finally took the stage—accompanied first by a ravishing Melania, then Ivanka and Jared Kushner, Don Jr, Kai, Tiffany and all the glittering brood—the pain of the previous hours was forgotten.
Wisconsin Congresswoman Harriet Hageman stood at the entrance. Her takeaway from the day, she told Daily Mail, was: “Hope and excitement. America is back and better than ever.” (Photo: Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner).
Then pyrotechnics and the announcement of Jason Aldean taking the stage. The singer, who once caused a liberal meltdown with his song “Try that in a Small Town,” played for over an hour. During his lightning-fast set, someone collapsed at the front of the stage. He called for the paramedics and gestured, “Turn off the music?” to the sound desk.
“No need,” was the answer and the music continued to play. It was the first of many moments when paramedics and security stormed the conference room floor.
As the night stretched on, a line formed at a first aid station at the back of the room. Everyone was here for Trump, and no one was going to leave without being able to say they were in the same room as him, even if only for a short time – medical emergencies be damned.
When the 47th president finally took the stage—accompanied first by a ravishing Melania, then Ivanka and Jared Kushner, Don Jr, Kai, Tiffany and all the glittering brood—the pain of the previous hours was forgotten.
Behind me, a man summed it up, breathless and excited, shouting into the night, “I can't believe we're finally back.”
