Trump and Tonic
November 1st, 2006 by Ingrid
Donald Trump has always oddly fascinated me. The big-time swagger, the gilded living quarters, the hair. So when my friend invited me to the launch party for Trump vodka, I said sure. Wait - did I say Trump vodka? Please, forgive me. It’s actually called Trump Super Premium Vodka. In fact, Trump himself was quoted last year as saying, “[This summer,] I fully expect the most called-for cocktail in America to be the ‘T&T,’ or the Trump and tonic.” Well, not sure if that happened - and, ironically, the Donald doesn’t even drink - but cheers to thinking big.
Back to the party. My friend’s friend was part of the events team running the show, which took place at Trump Tower. I’ve been in the place before, but I’m still amazed at the sheer volume of gold and mirrors — it’s like being trapped in a gigantic compact. Anyway, I scanned the crowd for a famous face and, even though the likes of Busta Rhymes and Cuba Gooding Jr. attended, I only came up with Andy Litinsky from last season’s The Apprentice. We made a few laps through the packed room, made an attempt to get to the second floor, wove our way through the throngs of tanned real estate big-shots, and gave up.
Exiting across the red carpet, we swooped in on her friend to say our good-byes. I was just wondering if the man of the hour had arrived yet when, as I did a quick sweep of the street, I came face to face with Trump himself. In all his glory. He was striding to the red carpet with his wife, Melania, and a small entourage, and literally brushed right passed me. I’m not easily star-struck, but I have to admit that I felt a little flutter. Being less than an arm’s length away from arguably the biggest mogul in the universe is an interesting position, and although Trump style definitely isn’t my style, the man does have presence — tall, supremely confident, in control. The next morning my friend called and the first thing she said was, “You like Donald Trump!” Guilty.