US President Donald Trump Hosted a Black-Tie Dinner

US President Donald Trump hosted a black-tie dinner for the top 220 buyers of his $TRUMP meme coin on Thursday night despite severe backlash against the event.

The scene: A sprawling Virginia gold club, the setting sun casting long shadows as the chauffeurs pulled up, each gleaming car disgorging a guest more fabulous than the last. Inside, the vast ballroom glittered, a sea of black tie and tiaras illuminated by enormous chandeliers.

The rumors had flown thick and fast. Could it be true that Donald Trump was hosting a black-tie dinner party for the 220 biggest buyers of his meme coin? Despite the White House's insistence that it was a "private" event, Trump was attending it in his personal time, and the press were not invited.

The rumors were true. The former president did indeed host the dinner at his Virginia gold club on Thursday evening, arriving by Marine One and speaking at a lectern emblazoned with the presidential seal. The occasion marked the culmination of a two-month-long contest in which the top spenders on Trump’s meme coin, $TRUMP, would be rewarded with a lavish gala and the chance to rub shoulders with the former president.

The 220 guests, who together ploughed a total of $148 million into the cryptocurrency, had travelled from across the globe to attend the event, which was not open to the press. Among them were crypto influencers, industry bigwigs, and former NBA star Lamar Odom. Some of the guests were said to be ultra-wealthy, while others were reportedly more 'normal'.

The mood was upbeat as the guests chatted and sipped Trump’s own-brand wine (those who preferred something stronger were said to be out of luck). The main topic of conversation was, naturally, the contest and the sums of money that had been invested.

During the evening, the top four biggest spenders were presented with gemstone-encrusted watches, each said to be worth around $100,000. The grand prize for the top four winners was a Trump-branded Tourbillon watch.

The atmosphere was said to be lively, though the food drew mixed reactions. One TikTok influencer, Nicholas Pinto, who was invited to the gala after investing $300,000 in $TRUMP, said that he was still hungry when he left the gala.

“The food sucked,” Pinto said. “Wasn’t given any drinks other than water or Trump’s wine. I don’t drink, so I had water. My glass was only filled once.”

He added that the meal was “the worst food I’ve ever had at a Trump golf course. The only good thing was bread and butter.”

Another guest interviewed by The Independent said that the food was “OK, but not top-class.”

The guests were said to be able to mingle with Trump to a limited degree, though most of the attention was on the former president. According to Pinto, Trump spent a total of 23 minutes at the gala, during which time he spoke to the guests and posed for photos.

“He didn’t talk to any of the 220 guests — maybe the top 25,” Pinto said. Trump also reportedly delivered a speech before flying back on his helicopter.

“For the most part, it was just him talking about his campaign, and about how he beat Biden, and blah, blah, blah, how we were in a terrible place with crypto before he got elected and now we’re in a great place,” one guest was quoted as saying by The Verge.

The guests were also able to mingle with each other, sharing their experiences of the contest and their hopes for the future of crypto.

The event was a unique occurrence in US political history, with a former president hosting a lavish dinner party for the biggest buyers of his meme coin. It remains to be seen whether Trump will host another such event in the future.