Washington’s Republican power center was at the Top of the Hay Wednesday evening to celebrate Donald Trump Jr.’s just-announced New York Times No. 1 book that brother-in-law Jared Kushner said is “driving people crazy, which is Don’s specialty.”
In what several of the 100-plus guests called the hottest ticket of the year, Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump hosted the two-hour event on the top of the Hay Adams Hotel to cheer Trump Jr. on and thank the GOP influentials, lawmakers, Cabinet members, staff, and friends that have backed President Trump.
“For Ivanka and myself, coming down to Washington, it’s definitely been a unique experience. We joke that we don’t get paid for this job, but having the friendship of all of you and getting the opportunity to meet all of you makes it an incredibly worthwhile experience,” said Kushner standing in front of windows that overlook the North Portico of the White House.
“Don’s been an incredible brother to me. One thing about the Trump kids that nobody really gets to see is that they are very hard to pull apart, they really stick together, they all support each other, they are amazing, and they are all each other’s best friends,” said Kushner.
Turning to Trump’s book, Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us, Kushner, a senior White House adviser, said to his guests, “Thank you for celebrating this book which is driving people crazy, which is Don’s specialty. As of a couple of hours ago, it was just announced that it was No. 1 on the New York Times list.”
Trump joked about topping the nonfiction list and beating, for example, Elton John. “I take great solace in the fact that they are in there right now crying about the fact that I am No. 1,” he said.
He applauded the work of Kushner and his sister Ivanka, making note of her “grace” in the face of constant attacks. He said that Ivanka is “the counterpart to what I am good for, wrecking ball.”
Ivanka Trump kidded, “I’ve got to say, that’s the nicest thing he’s ever said.”
She said that they are a “good team,” and Trump Jr. responded, “It’s a great ham and egg.”
Most of those in the crowd that included acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, several Cabinet secretaries, and the leading anti-impeachment voices in the House, were focused on the impeachment hearings earlier in the day. And all said that they believed the Democrats didn’t land a killer blow.
Citing those, including Reps. Jim Jordan, Mark Meadows, Lee Zeldin, Matt Gaetz, and Sens. Rand Paul and John Cornyn, Trump Jr. said, “It is great to see this solidarity especially when you see the nonsense that’s really been going on for three years but has come to a climax today” with the hearings.
On his book tour, he said that supporters have urged a fighting stance with Democrats. “That’s what they want to see. That’s what they want to see from the Republicans. That’s what’s been missing for so long in so many cases.”
Others in the crowd sipping Budweisers, wine, and bourbon included the president’s pastor, Paula White-Cain and her husband, Journey member Jonathan Cain; Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin; Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar; Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue; Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross; Lara Trump; Trump Jr.’s girlfriend and 2020 campaign adviser Kimberly Guilfoyle; the ambassadors from Qatar, Bahrain, and Jordan; Diana L. Banister, a key aide to deputy DHS secretary Ken Cuccinelli, Sean Spicer, fresh from Dancing with the Stars; Trump Jr. advisers Sergio Gor, Arthur Schwartz, and Andrew Surabian; Rep. Andy Biggs; Katrina Pierson; incoming impeachment war room chiefs Pam Bondi and Tony Sayegh; Kellyanne Conway; Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith, Tim Scott, and Ted Cruz; pollster Frank Luntz; White House aides Avi Berkowitz, Cassidy Dumbauld, and Jessica Ditto; White House legal counsel Pat Cipollone; and the media’s Joe Kernan, Boris Epshteyn, and Sebastian Gorka.
