Seat switching, oversold tickets cause drama at megadonor pre-inauguration Trump dinner
At weddings, bar mitzvahs, and work dinners, it’s not uncommon to see guests fiddling with their seating arrangements. That’s what happened Sunday night, too, at a black-tie dinner for Republican mega-donors, Cabinet nominees, senior political leaders and senior White House staff.
“A lot of people screwed up on their business cards. A lot of big names,” said one guest at President Trump’s pre-inauguration candlelight dinner at the National Building Museum. “I didn’t want to leave my seat because I didn’t want to lose it.”
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Outside, on the coldest eve inauguration ceremony For 40 years, queues have been as long as 90 minutes. One attendee said guests in gowns and tuxedos were “frozen to their butts” and shivering next to other high-profile partygoers such as Bernard Arnault of luxury goods giant LVMH (Bernard Arnault), Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former Texas Governors Rick Perry and Ron Lauder . Heir to the Estee Lauder fortune.
“It doesn’t matter who you are,” said one guest who donated millions to the Trump campaign and super PAC.
Multiple attendees told CBS News that after entering, guests discovered that a last-minute exchange of place cards had changed seat assignments.
Chicago Cubs owner Todd Ricketts’ business card moved slightly from his seat next to his cabinet secretary to across the table.
Several sources for this article asked to remain anonymous because being hit is considered an embarrassment. The play illustrates the extent of the desire for closeness trump card and his inner circle. CBS News spoke with multiple sources who attended the dinner and confirmed the details of this report.
The inaugural committee notified donors in early January that the weekend event was full and further donations would not guarantee a spot, according to a committee official.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
To receive two tickets to the candlelight dinner, attendees must donate at least $250,000 to Trump’s inaugural committee. But even with such a high price, the event was oversold.
“It’s a mess,” one guest said.
Abbe Lowell, a former attorney for Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, and most recently Hunter BidenAccording to multiple witnesses, he was told that his name was not on the guest list. Apparently the database at one of the check-in counters was not updated, but the situation was later resolved.
Diners said staff did come out to rush several senior guests to the front of the security line. But for others, the bar was already closed by the time they arrived in the main room.
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Still, one attendee said that despite the logistical issues, “everyone was in a really good mood and excited to be there.”
Nearly 2,000 guests attended the dinner, including Susquehanna International’s Jeff Yass, ConocoPhillips’ Ryan Lance, Lockheed Martin’s Jim Tacklet, Galaxy’s Michael Novogratz and singer Carrie Underwood.
There is also turnover in the family seats of transition co-chair and Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick. When the displaced guests tried to sit there, they were asked to relocate.
Trump campaign strategist and pollster Tony Fabrizio did not have an assigned seat when he arrived.
One donor was so annoyed that a Cabinet nominee was taking someone else’s place that he notified a U.S. senator.
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Organizers set up secondary seating outside the main room, a grand colonnaded hall decorated with manicured plants and subtle lighting.
Caviar, beef and apple pie are on the menu. But multiple guests said the entrees were not delivered to every table until 10:30 p.m. Some people were too hungry to stay and left to get pizza and burgers.
Several Trump allies have complained that Goldman Sachs’ John Rogers, who is backing Sen. Tim Scott in the 2024 presidential race, holds a more prominent seat than almost anyone else, including Major Trump donor and senior White House staffer. The two sides discussed determining how much money Goldman Sachs executives donated to pro-Trump groups, according to people familiar with the matter.
When Trump arrived, he was escorted to a table behind a low glass wall with inaugural committee co-chairs Kelly Loeffler and Jeffrey Sprecher, billionaire Miriam A. Delson sat with Tesla’s Elon Musk, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez.
Meta’s Jeff Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan were nearby, sitting at a table with Jared Trump and Ivanka Trump.
Others occupying prime seats included UFC CEO Dana White, Musk’s mother Maye and sister Tosca, and Arnault, who began waiting in 30-degree temperatures. Arnault).
During the inauguration the next morning, a list of etiquette rules was placed on some 600 folding chairs in the Capitol Rotunda.
One line read: “Do not move seat cards.”
contributed to this report.
