There were Democrat, Republican, and presidential-themed cocktails. Traditional Romanian cabbage rolls next to mini-cheeseburgers with toothpick American flags. There were life-size cutouts of the two U.S. presidential candidates—Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump—with European Union, American, Romanian, and NATO flags behind them.
A TV in the courtyard played Fox News, while a TV inside played CNN. Posters read “Election 2024” and “Your vote is your voice” alongside red, white, and blue symbols of elephants and donkeys to represent the Republican and Democratic parties, respectively. The table centerpieces only had cutouts of elephants and stars, which I was told was not meant to be subliminal messaging—the donkey cutouts just didn’t arrive in time.
There were Democrat, Republican, and presidential-themed cocktails. Traditional Romanian cabbage rolls next to mini-cheeseburgers with toothpick American flags. There were life-size cutouts of the two U.S. presidential candidates—Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump—with European Union, American, Romanian, and NATO flags behind them.
A TV in the courtyard played Fox News, while a TV inside played CNN. Posters read “Election 2024” and “Your vote is your voice” alongside red, white, and blue symbols of elephants and donkeys to represent the Republican and Democratic parties, respectively. The table centerpieces only had cutouts of elephants and stars, which I was told was not meant to be subliminal messaging—the donkey cutouts just didn’t arrive in time.
The playlist included Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin,” John Lennon’s “Imagine,” and John Mayer’s “Waiting on the World to Change.”
Like every embassy in Washington, D.C., and every country around the world, Romania’s diplomatic outpost in the U.S. capital is waiting and watching to see whether Trump or Harris will prevail. But Monday night’s preelection cocktail party at Romanian Ambassador Andrei Muraru’s residence attempted to project calm, camaraderie, and even levity ahead of what is expected to be a tense and possibly chaotic few days after polls close on Tuesday.
“Everyone in Romania knows who RFK Jr. is,” Muraru said to some laughter, seemingly referencing the former independent presidential candidate’s name-check of the country in his August campaign suspension speech. Muraru’s next joke referenced perhaps the most recognizable Romanian name to Americans: “Dracula has not made an appearance in this election.”
But the ambassador then quickly reminded the audience of the stake his country and others have in this election. “It’s Washington who sets the tone, and it’s Washington we look to as a model for leadership,” he said.
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