‘Best night of my life’: Rinehart, McQueen front and centre at Trump’s victory party
Palm Beach, Florida: Donald Trump’s donors, volunteers, supporters and friends streamed into the Palm Beach County Convention Centre with confidence and cheer, and as the night went on, the mood among the faithful became only more jubilant.
As they watched results trickle in and the New York Times needle drift further to the red side of the ledger, there was a growing sense the 45th president of the United States would become its 47th – and in doing so, tell a stunning comeback story and open an unpredictable new chapter in American and world history.
Former Liberal Party vice president Teena McQueen, Australian mining magnate Gina Rinehart and the leader of the conservative UK Reform party, Nigel Farage, at Donald Trump’s election watch party.
Any doubt that Americans were willing to “go back” to Trump, as the Democrats cast it, was dispelled early on. After that, it was only a question of who would prevail in a clearly close race.
Across town in Palm Beach proper, Trump waited at home, the Mar-a-Lago resort, with his “very special people” – among them Tesla billionaire Elon Musk, UFC boss Dana White and Australia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart.
Also present was former Liberal Party vice president Teena McQueen, who told this masthead of the “electric” atmosphere inside. “Unbelievable – best night of my life,” she said, adding facetiously: “If he wins Virginia, it’s because Mrs Rinehart and I went to a rally in Salem.”
Supporters watch returns at a campaign election night watch party for Republican presidential nominee former president Donald Trump at the Palm Beach Convention Centre.Credit: AP
The winning aura was reinforced as it became clear Trump would hold his base in Florida and Texas, two states that were not considered at risk for the Republicans but where a dip might indicate if the swing was on nationwide. Later, it firmed that Trump would regain the state of Georgia, a state Joe Biden won by a narrow margin in 2020.
When the battleground state of North Carolina was called for Trump at 11.30pm local time, the Convention Centre crowd erupted, with people punching the air and chanting “USA, USA, USA”.
Just after 1am, Trump’s motorcade made the short drive from Mar-a-Lago to West Palm Beach, and he took to the stage shortly before 2.30am flanked by his wife, Melania, and family to claim victory before a raucous throng of true believers.
“This was, I believe, the greatest political movement of all time,” Trump said. “Now it’s going to reach a new level of importance because we’re going to help our country heal.”
“We have a country that needs help. We made history for a reason tonight… We overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible. Look what happened. Is this crazy?”
Officials at Trump HQ projected confidence from the start, saying the momentum was with Trump despite many commentators feeling Harris surged in the campaign’s final days.
As for the persistent gender gap in the polls, senior Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski said: “Women do not vote only on their gender … It’s a fallacy.”
While the celebrities were holed up at Mar-a-Lago, the Convention Centre party was still an exclusive affair, with an invite-only guest list spanning donors, volunteers, lobbyists, supporters, friends and former staff.
Televangelist Paula White, who delivered an invocation at Trump’s inauguration and later became his special faith adviser, arrived flanked by her rocker husband, Jonathan Cain, keyboardist and guitarist for the band Journey.
“I watched her do amazing things, we fed the hungry during COVID, and we got Jerusalem to be the capital [of Israel]. She did a lot of great things with him, and whispered in his ear a couple of good things,” Cain said.
Pola LoBello, from conservative lobby group Moms for America, attended with her daughter and said a Trump win was necessary to save the country. “She’s going to give me grandkids in the future and I want this to be a safe America,” she said. “The way it’s going right now, I don’t feel it’s safe at all.”
While most guests donned cocktail dress and frocks, many wore jeans, chinos or colourful suits or clothing in the pattern of the American flag, lending the event a more relaxed vibe. Many more were accessorised with red MAGA caps and badges.
Inside, upwards of 15 American flags adorned the stage, and small tables stocked with bottles of wine and plastic tumblers dotted the room.
Pola LoBello (right), of conservative lobby group Moms for America, with her daughter at the Trump team’s official election watch party in Palm Beach, Florida.Credit: Michael Koziol
At first, Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News played on the big screen, but it was later switched to CNN, prompting a small group of MAGA fans to chant “CNN sucks”. Still, the favourable calls kept coming, no matter the channel.
Plenty of Trump supporters wandered past the entrance to try to get inside, but security was tight. Most of the world’s media was also refused accreditation for the event, with journalists and their camera operators camped outside on the streets interviewing punters and attendees.
It was also reported that a number of journalists initially approved to cover Trump’s election night events had their credentials revoked after writing stories critical of Trump and his campaign in a continuation of the former president’s long-standing animosity toward the press.
At a nearby bar, Florida real estate developer and Trump supporter Patrick Jones drank a vodka soda and watched PBS on the big screen. “I’m going to vote Republican every election, no matter what,” he said. “I don’t want them [the Democrats] to take away the money I’ve earned.”
Jones, 31, said Trump was “not the greatest guy”, but it did not matter. “There are probably people with better character, but I don’t really care about that. It’s more about the Republican ideals,” he said.
Later, Palm Beach locals flocked to the streets outside the party to get a glimpse of Trump’s motorcade arriving. One woman, wearing a T-shirt saying “I’m voting FELON”, led her young children forward for a better view.
Nearby, Palm Beach resident Teresa Kelly waved a flag with Trump’s face emblazoned over the American flag. “I’m relieved,” she said.
With AP
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