Trump's Alfalfa Club Routine Draws Tepid Response From Typically Loyal Crowd
WASHINGTON — A room typically filled with laughter and bipartisan bonhomie fell into an awkward silence over the weekend as former President Donald Trump delivered a set of jokes that largely failed to land with the powerful audience at the Alfalfa Club's annual dinner.
The event, a storied black-tie gathering of political leaders, Supreme Court justices, billionaire financiers, and former presidents, has long served as a venue for light-hearted roasting among the nation's elite. This year, however, Trump's comedic foray—which touched on familiar themes of geopolitical conquest and personal grievances—reportedly elicited more cringes than chuckles from the assembled dignitaries.
Founded in 1913, the Alfalfa Club counts figures like Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Chief Justice John Roberts, and former President George W. Bush among its members. The setting provided a stark backdrop for Trump's performance, which was detailed in reports from The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal.
"So many people in the room I hate. Most of you I like," Trump opened, according to an attendee's account. The quip, intended as a roast-style icebreaker, was met with a palpable chill. His subsequent jokes about making Canada "the 51st state" and purchasing Greenland—a reference to a controversial proposal from his first term—also landed with a thud.
The former president turned his sights on several individuals, including his own past nominee for Federal Reserve chair, Kevin Warsh, threatening legal action if interest rates weren't lowered. He also labeled former presidential candidate Mitt Romney a "left-winger," a barb that prompted attendees to break the silence not with laughter, but with a round of supportive applause for Romney.
References to President Joe Biden, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and a boast about his White House ballroom renovations similarly failed to resonate, according to multiple accounts.
The performance immediately drew criticism from political opponents. The Democratic National Committee issued a statement condemning Trump's presence at "one of Washington’s most exclusive gatherings" amid widespread economic anxiety. "Everyday Americans are struggling to make ends meet," the DNC said, "while Trump is dining with billionaire buddies."
The Alfalfa Club has hosted sitting presidents for decades, often serving as a forum for self-deprecating humor. Former President Barack Obama once joked about mingling with "everyday, ordinary Americans… like the men and women of the Alfalfa Club." The club's history includes a boycott by President Bill Clinton until it admitted its first female members in 1994.
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"It was a masterclass in tonal deafness," said Michael Thorne, a political communications professor at Georgetown University. "In a room built on subtle, insider humor, he delivered a campaign rally monologue. It underscores how his political brand, which thrives in large, adoring crowds, doesn't always translate to more intimate, establishment settings."
"Honestly, I found it refreshingly honest in a room full of phonies," countered Sarah Jenkins, a conservative commentator and podcast host. "He called out the hypocrisy in that room. The uncomfortable silence wasn't about the jokes being bad; it was about them hitting too close to home. The applause for Romney proved the point—it's a club, and he's not in it."
"It was embarrassing and pathetic," snapped David Chen, a former White House speechwriter for a Republican administration. "This wasn't comedy; it was a stream of grievances and delusions of grandeur served to people holding their breath. It diminished the office he once held and showed zero growth, zero reflection. Just the same old, tired act in a room that's finally bored of it."
"The real story is the venue itself," noted Priya Sharma, a historian of American political institutions. "The Alfalfa Club is a symbol of the permanent establishment. Trump's cold reception there, compared to the roaring rallies he commands, visually maps the enduring fault line in American power between the populist political sphere and the traditional centers of financial and judicial influence."
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the event.