Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West was coming to dinner at Mar-a-Lago and Melania wanted to make sure it would be a night folks would remember long after the last piece of chocolate layer cake was consumed.
Leaving the art of the deal to her husband, the missus of Mar a-Lago was well honed in the gracious art of entertaining. In fact, it’s clear she followed time-tested advice that generations of lovely hostesses have adhered to.
My bookshelves at home are filled with practical and lighthearted mid-century housekeeping manuals which many a young bride and seasoned housewife consulted to master the ins and outs of being a perfect hostess. As I read the detailed advice on successful entertaining, entertaining advice, it confirmed to me that Melania had handled matters with the aplomb of a 1950s housewife.
“As a hostess, you have to be able to handle the unexpected event. You may be confronted with an unwanted guest or any number of situations which demand your savoir faire”
What’s a Hostess to Do?
Mar-a-Lago was abuzz in preparation for Tuesday’s dinner.
That morning when Ye rang up asking to bring his pal to the dinner party, Melania was delighted. Though the name Nick Fuentes didn’t ring a bell, she was certain if he was a friend of Ye he must be a very fine person.
As every hostess knows, “Deciding on your guest list is a challenge.”
“You want to have a well-balanced guest list,” the book advised. “Don’t only pick people that know one another. I always think a good guest list includes people who aren’t in the same circles. It so inspires new and interesting conversations. It’s more exciting when people can enjoy meeting new people. You never know, your party may spark a new romance.”
And romance did blossom.
At one point during dinner, Donald turned to Ye and gushed “I really like this guy. He gets me,”
“Indulge your guests,” the books advised. With this in mind be sure to introduce guests to one another when they first arrive.”
A Welcoming Home
“The perfect hostess gives the impression she is delighted to see her guests. Along with the host her attitude is one of happy enthusiasm which must on no account slop over into gushiness. Creating a welcoming atmosphere is of utmost importance.
Like any good hostess, Melania knew the success of a good dinner party was in the details, Should your outfit match your hor’s d oeuvres? Where to seat a man whose preferred topic is baseball, dog breeding, or white supremacy.
Making your guests feel right at home is the hostess’s main job whether the guest is your husband’s boss, a new friend, or an anti-semite.
Along with trimming her flowers to below eye level to encourage lively conversation, Melania made sure to set the table with her finest white china, and reminded the chef to carefully remove all traces of the dark meat from the holiday turkey she was serving.
Keep it Lively
“A good hostess keeps the conversation lively and what might unite the new acquaintances.”
“The good hostess does not bat an eye when coffee is spilled on her best tablecloth, a priceless tea cup is broken” or a holocaust denier compares your just-out-of-the-oven cookies to the ovens at Auschwitz. If a guest boasts of plans to run for president in 2024 and wants his host to be his running mate, a good hostess laughs it off or awkwardness will ensue.
The books all assured the reader that “a party can unlock access to a new milieu and even advance her husband’s career.”
The mistresses of Mar-a-Lago can rest assured that after this dinner party not only would this advance her husband politically but she achieved her goal as The Hostess with the Mostess.
When it came to despicable guests they were the mostess.