Trump's New Coalition Came To Washington Ready To Party

President Donald Trump went heavy on his list of executive actions during his inaugural speech on Monday. But MAGA came to celebrate.

And in all corners of the city over the weekend, they did.

From a crypto bash to Turning Point's "YMCA" bash to soirees for Black conservatives, some of MAGA's freshest converts braved the snow and came to town ready to celebrate the return of Trump's Washington.

Here are some scenes from the hottest tickets in Washington.

The event:

Republican Party of Florida Inauguration Gala

The day: Saturday, Jan. 18

Spotted: Soon-to-be-Sen. Ashley Moody, Rep. Laurel Lee, Rep. Byron Donalds, Sen. Rick Scott, Florida House Speaker Danny Perez, state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, state Rep. Alex Rizo, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, Florida emergency management director Kevin Guthrie

No state delegation is going bigger this inauguration than Florida Republicans, who reveled in their renewed influence in Washington on Saturday night as 700 lawmakers, political hopefuls, lobbyists and grassroots volunteers packed into the atrium of the Marriott Marquis.

As a cover band’s music filled the venue’s vaulted ceilings, guests grooved next to a cutout of Trump dancing at his campaign rallies or posed for pictures under a balloon arch — at one point forming a conga line to the iconic Gloria Estefan 1985 hit released with the Miami Sound Machine. There was a long line to pose with just-reelected Sen. Rick Scott, who until 2024 had won the state only by the narrowest of margins.

“President-elect Trump has mined the bench for talent in Florida,” said state Rep. Dean Black (R-Jacksonville), who led the state GOP’s blue county strategy committee to flip areas to red. “And really, this is a turning point in our history. We're going to make America great again by making America Florida.”

— KIMBERLY LEONARD

Evan Power said the Republican Party of Florida, which he chairs, had raised $102 million over the last year — a haul they were able to use to retain a supermajority in the Legislature, defeat amendments on pot and abortion and to gain a huge voter-registration advantage. The weekend’s events alone brought in roughly $1.9 million.

“Florida leads the way,” he said. “Florida has become the beacon of hope for the rest of the country."

The event:

Turning Point Inaugural Eve Ball

The day: Sunday, Jan. 19

Spotted: Kash Patel, Alina Habba, Sergio Gor, Sebastian Gorka, Donald Trump Jr., Judge Jeanine Pirro, Matt Walsh, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Conor McGregor, Colby Covington, Zachary Levi, Amber Rose

Turning Point’s swanky affair at the Salamander Hotel in southwest Washington — where the half shell oysters and champagne flowed generously — was the place to be Sunday night for MAGA’s bourgeois class.

While billionaire elites like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Miriam Adelson hobnobbed at an even more exclusive candlelight dinner at the National Building Museum across town — an event attended by Trump himself — state and local Republican Party officials, lower-level GOP staffers and other MAGA acolytes with a little extra cash to spend sardined themselves into the ballrooms and hallways of the Salamander. Many attendees remarked it appeared to be vastly oversold.

The popularity of the $15,000-a-head event underscored that for all Trump’s populist rhetoric, his base is extremely stratified — and perhaps even more so under Trump 2.0, as wealthy Wall Street executives and tech bros are eager to kiss the Trump ring.

On Sunday, that took the form of pounding down pasta and shrimp, grooving to performances by Kid Rock and the Village People — and taking in a brief appearance by Vice President JD Vance that capped off the evening right around midnight.

“They don’t tell you when you run for vice president that you get brought on stage with the Village People,” Vance quipped, dancing on stage to “YMCA.”

The event was attended by a slate of Cabinet officials and senior White House staff. But that this movement is large enough to have stratas underscores just how different things are this time around. This is a much more thoughtful, sophisticated movement and operation than it was under Trump 1.0.

“When we came in we were innocent, we were babies,” said Trump Jr. from the stage, adding that the campaign couldn’t have been colluding with Russia. “If you were in the campaign in 2016, we couldn’t collude to order a cheeseburger.”

–Megan Messerly

The Event:

Legacy of Freedom Ball

The day: Sunday, Jan. 19

Spotted: Sen. Tim Scott, Reps. Bryon Donalds and Burgess Owens, former ESPN host Sage Steele, Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears

Black conservatives who helped return Trump to the White House hosted their own black tie soiree on Saturday.

They’re feeling the moment.

As VIP attendees dined on a spread of sliced tomahawk chop steak and raw oysters, the DJ played classic hits like Rick James’ 1979 hit “Bustin’ Out” — a tune apropos for how many Black Republicans see this moment and their growing stature in within conservative politics.

“We’re really a part of something that is historic,” Rep. Byron Donalds told POLITICO, standing near his three sons, all donning black tuxedos. “It really defied all political reality [and] we started to impact a lot of people in this country who aren’t traditionally Republican.”

Trump increased his support among Black voters, especially in particular Black men, last year compared with his previous White House runs, helping fuel his victory. Trump did not attend the event, though he headlined Black Conservative Federation’s events before.

The Sunday celebration, dubbed the Legacy of Freedom Ball, was held at the Arena Stage, the first racially integrated theater in the nation’s capital.

Attendees included Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Utah); Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Alice Marie Johnson, the criminal reform advocate who was serving a life term in federal prison before Trump granted a full pardon during his first term.

Owens, the representative from Utah, who decades ago played defensive back in the NFL, declined to be interviewed by POLITICO.

He was too busy taking photos with attendees who wanted to hold and snap pictures of them wearing the Super Bowl ring he won as a member of the Oakland Raiders in 1981.

— Brakkton Booker

The event:

MAGA MAHA Crypto Inaugural Ball

The day: Sunday, January 19

Spotted: Michael Flynn, Angela Stanton King, James McCoy Taylor, Wendy Silvers, Brock Pierce, Jorge Fajardo, Stephen Tenner, Chris Cox, Kyle Kemper, Andre Soriano, Sean Reyes, Doug Mastriano, Evelio Medina

Crypto enthusiasts and MAGA loyalists gathered Sunday night in the second-story ballroom of the MGM Grand to celebrate Trump’s return to the White House.

With a $500 starting ticket price — modest compared with other conferences in town — the MAGA MAHA Crypto Ball, produced by the CEO of the Miami Brickell Chamber of Commerce, Evelio Medina, drew an eclectic crowd for a buffet seafood dinner and open bar. Though glittery ball gowns abounded, many attendees sported MAGA-themed attire, including custom outfits designed by co-host Andre Soriano. And between the ball and an associated conference on the future of cryptocurrency, they praised everything from the idea of unity to policy discussions on the future of digital currency and God.

“It's wonderful to surround myself with people who know about what this is,” said Jesse Brady, 27, of Nashville, Tennessee. “And a place with a lot of faith, and people mention God a lot. And I'm a big believer.”

For others, the 600-person gathering was simply a chance to celebrate MAGA’s return to Washington. The crowd included performer Stephen Tenner, who carried his 16-month-old Chihuahua, Bambi, around the venue when he wasn’t singing on stage. Other performers included James McCoy Taylor, a “Bachelorette” alum who performed a Trump-themed song titled “Great Again.”

The evening was not without glitches. At one point, organizers announced the room was at capacity and asked attendees to help raise $20,000 to open an adjacent ballroom. Despite raising $10,000, only a portion of the additional guests could be accommodated initially, while others trickled in over time.

Though it wasn’t exactly clear if the event was sold out, Medina later said that safety and logistical constraints made it impossible to host the additional guests.

“You see,” Medina said, gesturing to the handful of attendees still dancing as the event wrapped, “it’s 11 p.m., and we have to leave — but they don’t want to.”

— Bethany Irvine

The event:

Party to honor Gen Z Trump supporters and social media allies

The day: Sunday, Jan. 19

Spotted: Tok’s lobbyist Mac Abrams, Trump campaign adviser Alex Bruesewitz, Republican political activist Scott Presler, former British Prime Minister Liz Truss, boxer Scott McGregor

With TikTok back online after shutting off for less than a day, the company embarked on an inaugural weekend goodwill tour aimed at the person the video-sharing app is counting on to save it.

On Sunday, TikTok contributed $50,000 to a party in honor of Gen Z Trump supporters and his biggest social media allies.

“If anyone can negotiate a deal that keeps TikTok alive while simultaneously protecting the data of the American people, it’s President Trump,” Bruesewitz told the crowd.

The party's other sponsors were Kalshi, which recently named Donald Trump Jr. as a strategic adviser, and the American Conservation Coalition. The night before, TikTok hosted Trump-aligned influencers and other guests to watch a Washington Capitals hockey game from a suite in the Capital One Arena. And on Monday, CEO Shou Chew was spotted at pre-inauguration prayers.

The overtures to Trump world capped a tumultuous weekend in which TikTok shut down, then restored service to U.S. customers on Sunday after the Supreme Court upheld a law forcing its sale or ban, and the incoming president promised he’d somehow grant the company a reprieve.

Meanwhile, the influencers who attended Sunday’s party were eager to be part of a critical national conversation — albeit with some whiplash.

“I wouldn’t be here without this,” said a TikToker who goes by the name Chelly and does Vivek Ramaswamy impressions on the platform. “All of the sudden the [app] shut down and then all of the sudden it came back all in one weekend. It feels like a toxic ex.”

— Sophia Cai

Reporting from Dasha Burns.