WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump will have his election night party on Tuesday in the East Room of the White House, a White House official said.
About 400 people will attend the party, all of whom will be tested for the coronavirus, the official said on Sunday.
The party had been planned for the Trump International Hotel in Washington, just a few blocks from the White House. But the New York Times reported on Friday that the Republican president had dropped plans to appear at the hotel, preferring to watch the returns from the White House.
The East Room is the largest room in the mansion. Despite health officials’ warnings about the risks of large gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic, Trump has continued to bring big groups of people together for outdoor campaign rallies and events at the White House.
A number of people who attended Sept. 26 events at the White House for Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination later tested positive for the virus.
Opinion polls show Trump trailing Democratic challenger Joe Biden, though the contest is closer in the competitive states that will decide the outcome.
It is unclear how many results will be known on Tuesday night. More than 93 million Americans have voted early, and officials in several states, including Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, say it could take several days to count all the mail ballots, possibly leading to days of uncertainty if the outcome hinges on those states.
Biden plans to spend election night in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, his campaign said.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Susan Cornwell; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
