Trump Had Planned to Attend Election Party at His Hotel but Family Now Says They Might Be at the White House
Evan Vucci/AP/Shutterstock Donald Trump
Donald Trump’s presidential campaign has reportedly scrapped plans for him to attend a party at his Washington, D.C., hotel on election night — though his family said the change was simply part of a possible relocation to the White House instead.
When asked about a report in The New York Times that the president would be canceling his planned attendance at an already-promoted party, the president's son Eric Trump told Fox & Friends on Friday that they were just looking to moving the event.
"No, we're thinking about moving it actually, over to the White House," Eric said. "We're looking at that right now. It's going to be a great night. It's going to be a really beautiful night. I'm really excited."
The Times, citing aides and "multiple fund-raising solicitations" already sent to supporters, reported that President Trump had planned to be at the event, which was described in one campaign email as an "invitation-only Trump Election Night Party at his favorite hotel in Washington, DC."
He hosted a similar gathering, this time in New York City, at the end of the 2016 election
Asked about his plans on Friday morning outside the White House, Trump told reporters, "We haven’t made a determination."
He suggested he was limited by local regulations being enforced amid the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
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In D.C., COVID-19 regulations require that events have no more than 50 people in attendance, with groups of no more than six being seated at least six feet apart.
The president has openly chafed at following public health guidelines around slowing the virus, however.
"We have certain rules and regulations. You know, Washington, D.C., is shut down. The mayor has shut it down. So we have a hotel; I don’t know if it’s shut -- if you’re allowed to use it or not, but I know the mayor has shut down Washington, D.C. And if that’s the case, we’ll probably stay here or pick another location," Trump, 74, said Friday. "I think it’s crazy Washington, D.C., is shut down. Can you imagine?"
(A campaign spokesperson did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.)
Democratic nominee Joe Biden's campaign has not publicly announced his plan for election night, though the former vice president and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, have gone out of their way to hold virtual and socially distanced events.
Trump, meanwhile, has held a slew of in-person (and sometimes indoor) rallies seeking to reframe the public’s view of how he has handled the pandemic, even after he was diagnosed and hospitalized with coronavirus.
