A year ago today, the Trump Hotel was brimming with red-hatted supporters of Donald Trump. The bar’s televisions were tuned to Fox News, and the group cheered and sabered bubbly as it became clear that their guy had won.
The celebrations that night were plenty—from the hotel’s palatial lobby to the official election party at the Hilton in Midtown Manhattan. We asked a handful of folks in the 45th president’s orbit, including informal advisers, campaign staffers, and White House officials: How are you planning to celebrate the anniversary of Trump’s victory?
Senior campaign official: Celebrate what? this official wondered. “For Va gov…?”
Senior campaign official 2: “We’re going to pretend it never happened.”
Campaign state director: “Nothing too much, just smiling a whole lot.”
Administration official: “What’s tomorrow?”
Administration official 2: “Currently in South Korea finishing up the POTUS trip, so sadly I’ll be celebrating on a 14-hour Delta flight.”
Sarah Sanders, White House press secretary: No plans “that I’m aware of.” (Sanders is currently in South Korea with the President.)
Roger Stone, longtime Trump adviser: He’ll be “addressing a rally demanding Muller [sic] be prosecuted in Uranium One” in Naples, Florida, as well as celebrating “death to the two party duopoly and the established order.”
Steve Bannon, head of Breitbart: The former White House chief strategist will address a “unity dinner” for the Macomb County Republican Party in Michigan, according to the Detroit News.
Arthur Schwartz, GOP operative with close ties to Bannon: “I should go to the Hillary campaign victory headquarters and laugh. I went there on election night to watch people cry.”
Sean Spicer: The former White House press secretary is heading out of Chicago, where last night he gave a speech at an “event” for a “company,” he reveals.
Sebastian L. Gorka: “I’ll be working in CA. Giving a presentation to the Lincoln Club in Palo Alto,” emails the former White House adviser. “Celebration will have to wait for the weekend.”
Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the President: “Nostalgically, I plan to eat a cheeseburger pizza and a pack of Starbucks, staples of the campaign plane, talk tax cuts on Capitol Hill and appear on Laura Ingraham’s new show. We’ve been reminiscing the past couple weeks, sharing favorite moments from those waning days, exchanging never-seen photos, chuckling at the polling data, headlines and punditry.”
Elaina Plott joined Washingtonian in June 2016 as a staff writer. She has written about her past life as an Ann Coulter fangirl, how the Obamas changed Washington, and the rise and fall of Roll Call. She previously covered Congress for National Review. Her writing has appeared in the New York Observer, GQ, and Harper’s Bazaar.
