WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump put on his dancing shoes.
The president kicked off the Monday night celebration, gliding up on stage with first lady Melania Trump, in his first dance as the 47th president at the Commander in Chief Ball. Next came his signature fist-pump dance move.
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be tonight than with some of the greatest American patriots of all – the men and women of the United States military,” Trump said during his remarks later Monday evening at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
Sporting a tuxedo and bowtie, he walked hand-in-hand with Melania Trump, who wore a black and white dress. And, just before 10:30 p.m., the couple shared a first dance to a soulful Elvis-style version of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Vice President JD Vance, also in a tuxedo, and second lady Usha Vance, in a sparkly blue dress, joined the president and first lady for a spin on stage.
The Commander in Chief Ball was only the first of three balls the president planned to stop by on Monday evening. Trump later made an appearance at the Liberty Ball and was headed to Starlight Ball after that.
The balls cap off a marathon day for the president, which started with a church service Monday morning, followed by tea at the White House with Joe Biden, the outgoing president, a swearing-in at noon and remarks at an indoor parade at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
The balls, which are not open to the public, are a longtime tradition that bring together Washington D.C.’s elite and the president’s most ardent supporters. The first inaugural ball was held in 1809 for President James Madison and his wife Dolley, according to the White House Historical Association.
After a 10-minute speech at the Commander in Chief Ball, Trump spoke, through a video feed, to soldiers at a U.S. base in South Korea.
“How’s Kim Jong Un doing?” Trump quipped to the soldiers. “How are you? That’s a good-looking group of people, isn’t it?”
Before Trump and Vance left the first ball, they each sliced a cake with a small sword.
“The Secret Service is getting very nervous right now,” Vance joked as he cut into the cake.
The president offered a final dance, with the sword in hand, before departing. The Village People’s “YMCA” played as Trump exited the hall.
Country band Rascal Flatts and country singer-songwriter Parker McCollum were expected to perform at the Commander in Chief Ball, which is largely for military service members. Sean Hannity, a Fox News commentator and Trump ally, was broadcasting live from the ball, interviewing celebrities such as Kid Rock and actor Jon Voight.
Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, an Army veteran, took selfies, chatted up Kid Rock and mingled with attendees at the ball ahead of Trump’s arrival.
In another part of the convention center, singer-songwriter Jason Aldean took the stage at the Liberty Ball following a rocky performance from Billy Ray Cyrus. Aldean wore an all-black outfit, from his boots to his cowboy hat, and performed for almost an hour, offering up his controversial song “Try That In A Small Town.”
“You guys ended up making this little big hit for us,” Aldean said of the song. The music video for the song drew backlash when it was released in 2023 for showing clips of protesters yelling at police and igniting American flags.
Rapper Nelly and the Village People – a band that also attended Trump’s pre-inauguration rally on Sunday – were expected to perform at the Liberty Ball.
At the Starlight Ball, singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw, was slated to perform.
