At weddings, bar mitzvahs, and work dinners, it's common to see guests mess up their seating arrangements. It also happened Sunday night at a formal dinner for GOP megadonors, Cabinet nominees, top political leaders and senior White House staff.
“A lot of people have messed up name cards. A lot of big people,” said a guest at President Trump's pre-inauguration candlelight dinner at the National Building Museum. “I didn't want to get up from my seat because I didn't want to lose it.”
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Outside, on the coldest eve Inauguration In 40 years, lines took up to 90 minutes. One attendee said guests in gowns and tuxedos were shivering next to other recognizable partygoers, such as Bernard Arnault of luxury goods giant LVMH, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former Texas Governor Rick Perry and Ron Lauder. Heir to the Estée Lauder fortune.
“It didn't matter who you were,” said one guest, who had donated millions to Trump's campaign and super PAC.
Upon entering, guests discovered that some last-minute placecard swapping had changed seat assignments, several attendees told CBS News.
Chicago Cubs owner Todd Ricketts' name spot card was moved slightly from the seat next to the Cabinet Secretary to a spot across the table.
Several sources for this article asked to remain anonymous because being pushed was considered an embarrassment. Drama reflects the level of desire to be close trump And his inner circle. CBS News spoke with multiple sources who attended the dinner and confirmed details for this story.
According to a committee official, the inaugural committee informed donors in early January that the weekend events were at capacity and that further donations would not guarantee seats.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
To receive two tickets to the candlelight dinner, attendees must give at least $250,000 to Trump's inaugural committee. But even at such a high price, the event was oversold.
“It was a clusterf***,” one guest said.
Abbey Lowell, once a lawyer for Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump and, most recently, for hunter bidenAccording to several witnesses, he was told that his name was not on the guest list. The database was apparently not updating at one check-in desk, but the situation was later resolved.
Diners said staff came out to send some high-profile guests to the front of the security line. But for others, by the time they reached the main hall, the bar was closed.
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Nevertheless, one attendee said that despite logistical problems, “everyone was in a great mood and excited to be there.”
About 2,000 guests attended the dinner, including Susquehanna International Group's Jeff Yass, ConocoPhillips' Ryan Lance, Lockheed Martin's Jim Tacklett, Galaxy's Michael Novogratz and singer Carrie Underwood.
The family table seats of Howard Lutnick, co-chairman of the transition and nominee for Commerce Secretary, were among those that saw turnover. When the displaced guests tried to sit there, they were asked to move.
He did not have an assigned seat when Trump's campaign strategist, pollster Tony Fabrizio, arrived.
One donor was so irritated that a Cabinet nominee had replaced someone else, so a US senator was informed.
The organizers arranged for auxiliary seating outside the main hall, a grand pillared hall decorated with topiary and subtle lighting.
Caviar, beef and apple pie were on the menu. But many guests said the main meal was not served at every table until 10:30 pm. Some were so hungry that it was impossible to stop and they set out to get pizza and burgers.
Some Trump allies complained that Goldman Sachs' John Rogers, who endorsed Senator Tim Scott in the 2024 presidential race, has more money than almost anyone else, including major Trump donors and senior White House staff. Was the main seat. There were discussions about finding out how much money Goldman executives donated to pro-Trump groups, according to people familiar with the conversations.
When Trump arrived, he was given a table behind a low glass wall to sit with inaugural committee co-chairs Kelly Loeffler and Jeffrey Sprecher, billionaire Miriam Adelson, Tesla's Elon Musk and Amazon's Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez. Was taken to.
Meta's Jeff Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan were nearby at a table with Jared and Ivanka Trump.
Others in prime seats included UFC CEO Dana White, Musk's mother Maye and younger sister Tosca and Arnault, who waited out the night in 30-degree temperatures.
At the inauguration ceremony the next morning, a list of etiquette rules was placed on each of the approximately 600 folding chairs in the Capitol Rotunda.
One line said, “Don't move seat cards.”
Contributed to this report.