*Subject:**Travel pool 6 Trump on NoKo: “We’ll see”*
POTUS dropped in on the New Year’s Eve party at Mar-a-Lago tonight at 9:25 p.m., strolling past the assembled media pool and delivering very brief remarks. Asked for what his thoughts on North Korea’s claims about developing its nuclear force, he said, “We’ll see.”
“Hello everybody. Happy new year. I think youre going to go in and take some pictures of the crowd. Great crowd. Were going to have a great year. Were goIng to have a fantastic 2018. Were off to a very good start, as you know, with the great tax cuts and ANWR and getting rid of the individual mandate, which is very, very unpopular, as you know. But we are going to have a tremendous year. Stock market, I think, is going to continue to go up. Companies are going to continue to come into the country. And they’re doing it now, soon to be a record clip. So we look forward to seeing you inside. Come on along.
On North Korea leader Kim Jong Un’s claim that he has a nuclear button on his desk, and that the weapons can reach the United States: Well see, well see. Come on inside.
A bit of color (with an assist from NYT’s Emily Cochrane) for the curious:
POTUS and Barron were both in tuxedos. Melania had a full length rose gold glittery gown with floral accents.
Guests attended a cocktail reception near a swimming pool before the dinner. A red carpet led into the Grand Ballroom, where the dinner was held, and several guests confused the White House press corp for paparazzi (easy mistake), and stopped and posed for the cameras.
Guests arrivedin full formal attire, many clutching champagne flutes and martini glasses. There was a lot of glitter — full length gowns, clutches, shoes for women and a couple of the men — and many of the women had fur stoles, some of them floor length. Louise Linton, wife of Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, was one of them, with a short white dress and white fur caplet.Screens televised the crowd at Times Square, while a cover band played.
Among the attendees: Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner (who wished the press corp a happy new year) and their two oldest children, Arabella and Joseph; Eric and Lara Trump; Don Jr. and his eldest son, Don III; Mr. Mnuchin (who promised 2018 will be “great”) and his wife. Former NY Mets first baseman Keith Hernandez said hello, Fox Business host Lou Dobbs smiled, and Dr. Eric Kaplan, who claims to be the most-followed chiropractor on Twitter, stopped and chatted, too.
The menu tonight started with Trump Iceberg Wedge (roquefort, grape tomatoes, bacon, red onion) followed by a second course of Maine Lobster Ravioli (with fennel mousseline, olive & citrus verjus sauce). The third course was 7X Sliced Tenderloin & Pan-Seared Sea Bass (with taro root puree, morel mushrooms, roasted heirloom carrots, sweet cheries & burgundy jus). For dessert: Baked Alaska.
Happy new year everyone!
*Subject:* Travel pool 4: POTUS security briefing
White House sends along this statement, from spokeswoman Helen Ferre:
“The president has been briefed on security measures that are being taken by federal, state and local authorities to help ensure a safe and festive New Years Eve. We will continue to monitor throughout the night.”
Mike Bender
Huh! What is the reporter trying to say with this sentence? That a couple of men were queers wearing gowns, clutches, shoes?