Clinton supporters weep openly

The nail-biting nature of tonight’s presidential election left those cheering for Hillary Clinton - once the obvious favorite - in a sour mood, while Donald Trump’s supporters were energized by their underdog gaining ground.
At the Clinton ‘party’ in the Jacob K Javits Center in Manhattan, picked for its purposeful glass ceiling, Clinton’s senior aides were nowhere to be seen.

Mid-level staffers were dejectedly sipping coffee and Red Bull as the atmosphere went from confident to depressed.
A late-stage attempt to liven the mood with Jennifer Lopez’s ‘Let’s Get Loud’ was doomed to failure: Crowds stood around dejectedly.

Though news that Clinton might take Arizona for the Democrats for the first time since Bill Clinton’s run did inject a small amount of excitement.

Meanwhile, Trump supporters at an invite-only event at the New York Hilton - two miles and a world away - found themselves whipped up into roaring frenzies of cheers, hugs and chants of ‘lock her up.’

The Clinton party, held on 34th Street on the easternmost side of Midtown Manhattan, was billed as ‘Hillary for America Election Night Event’ and open to the public.

But sadly the American public didn’t seem to be open to Clinton. And as her grip loosened on the country, the life drained out of their eyes.

There was a resurgence as Virginia began to move towards Clinton - but no sign of the senior staff who had been expected to fill the floor.

In fact, until last week, the Clinton campaign was planning a fireworks victory display over the Hudson as early as 9.30pm.  Clinton was hunkered down in her hotel suite watching the results.


In a traditional Clinton approach to press relations, reporters covering it were frozen out of speaking to senior aides and instead were reduced to texting and emailing to ask for updates.

The attitude at the Midtown Hilton, on 1335 Avenue of the Americas and a block over from Trump Tower, couldn’t have been more different.

At the hotel, what looked increasingly likely to be Donald Trump’s victory party remained jubilant and upbeat as state after state stayed on the board for the brash billionaire. Trump’s director of African-American Outreach said at the party that both candidates have written concession speeches, according to the Hollywood Reporter - but it looked increasingly unlikely Trump would use his.

The Hilton ballroom’s stage was flanked with glass cases containing Trump hats and pins, and there were Trump TV stickers inside the Grand Ballroom, according to Washington Post video journalist Jorge Ribas.

It’s not hard to imagine jubilant Trump reporters jumping on the items before they departed - if they didn`t have them all before - as trophies of their jubilant night.

Some wondered why the party wasn`t being held at his own Trump Tower, just five minutes` walk away, but the Hilton`s size appeared to be key.  

‘The Hilton is huge,’ crisis management firm president Helios Fred Garcia told the Washington Post. ‘I don’t think it’s so much that he’s embarrassed to hold it in his own place or that his brand has been tarnished, but rather that he expects a large crowd. And so he booked the largest venue that he could.’

That proved to be a smart investment, as crowds, under the glare of a Trump-shaped victory cake, chugged their $11 beers - the cash-only bars charged from $7 to $13 - as they cheered.

With Florida, North Carolina and Virginia turning out to be close races, the crowd cheered every time Fox News showed The Donald still ahead.

Cries of ‘Drain the Swamp’ dominated the chants, as many in the crowd donned red ‘Make America Great Again’ hats.

Omarosa, one of Trump’s most potent surrogates throughout the campaign, worked the crowd happily posing for selfies.

Even when the state of New Mexico was called for Clinton, results showing The Donald ten points ahead received cheers from Trump’s invited supporters.

Source: Daily Mail Online