Trump lands in DC for pre-inaugural dinner

by Mark Hensch - 01/17/17 8:13 PM ET

President-elect Donald Trump arrived in Washington, D.C., late Tuesday for an exclusive dinner three days before his inauguration.

Trump arrived at Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport to attend an event dubbed the “Chairman’s Global Dinner” before journeying back to New York City later in the evening, according to pool reports.

.@realDonaldTrump arrives at DCA pic.twitter.com/CbCiAIYs7S

— Justin Sink (@justinsink) January 18, 2017

{mosads}

The dinner is a black-tie, invitation-only affair aimed at introducing foreign diplomats to Trump’s incoming administration, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

Three inauguration officials told the Journal the event aims at introducing Washington’s diplomatic community to Trump’s Cabinet appointments, his top donors and Vice President-elect Mike Pence.

Trump reportedly celebrated the makeup of his incoming administration during Tuesday’s festivities at the Andrew W. Mellon auditorium, where about 200 foreign diplomats out of roughly 500 guests overall were expected to attend.

The president-elect crowed about Pence’s role as his vice president, noting other candidates “maybe wouldn’t have worked out like Mike.”

Trump also joked about the confirmation hearings for Rex Tillerson, the former Exxon Mobil Corp. CEO who is his choice for secretary of State.

“I think it’s tougher than he thought,” he quipped of Tillerson. “He’s led this charmed life. He goes into a country, takes the oil, goes into another country.”

“It’s tough dealing with these politicians, right?” Trump asked Tillerson, who was in attendance. “He’s going to be so incredible.”

“And I’m very proud, I’ve very proud of everybody, the Cabinet members. We have put together a team, I think, the likes of which has never been assembled.”

Tuesday’s event was organized to be Trump’s “first fingerprint on the global canvas of social democracy and outreach,” Thomas Barrack, Trump’s presidential inaugural committee chairman, told the Journal.

“It is his acknowledgement of the profound importance of the international diplomatic community, as well as the beginning of a hopeful tapestry of international cooperation and respect,” he added of the dinner.

The Journal added Tuesday’s dinner would include musical entertainment from Alabama, a country and Southern rock band.

The evening will also sport a performance from ShowStoppers, it added, which is a musical revue of Broadway tunes developed by Las Vegas casino magnate Steve Wynn.

Tuesday’s dinner also attracted a mix of political and celebrity luminaries, according to pool reports.

Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder attended the event, as did actor Jon Voight.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) also appeared, as did Michael Flynn, Trump’s national security adviser.

Ron Dermer, the current Israeli ambassador to the U.S., was also sighted by pool reporters.

TMZ said Tuesday that guests will be able to choose from two entrees during the dinner, selecting either filet mignon or mustard glazed black cod, with side dishes including carrot ribbon salad and champignon mushrooms.

Updated: 10:05 p.m.

Tags Diplomacy Donald Trump Inauguration Mike Pence Politics Republicans Washington D.C.