Washington D.C. liquor store owners say supporters of President-elect Joe Biden have purchased more champagne bottles Saturday than during the previous two New Year's Eve celebrations combined.
Rodmans Food & Drug Store in downtown Washington is just one liquor store location where owners say they have sold more champagne bottles in the past 12 hours than during any previous holidays. Photos and videos from around the nation's capital show joyful people wearing pro-Biden apparel, celebrating his election win over President Donald Trump. One Fox News correspondent near the White House said celebrations smelled of marijuana and sprays of champagne bottles have continued in the hours since Biden's victory was announced. Two drug store chains in D.C. confirmed to Newsweek there was a "deluge" of Biden imbibers seeking champagne bottles Saturday.
The sale of liquor has been up across the board for 2020. Every liquor except champagne.
Several Getty images show hundreds of empty Veuve Clicquot champagne bottles, wine bottles and Truly Hard Seltzers stacked up against trash cans throughout Washington. A customer at Tenley Market liquor store tweeted Saturday night that champagne and blunt wraps were selling out there as well.
A LOT of people popping champagne in front of the White House pic.twitter.com/bMYdTxXdrc
— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) November 7, 2020
"Poppin' bottles of champagne near the White House. Thousands celebrate Joe Biden being elected the 46th President of the United States," tweeted NBC D.C. reporter Shomari Stone, covering the raucous pro-Biden partying in Black Lives Matter Plaza just north of the White House.
"I've now been sprayed with tear gas and champagne in the same spot," remarked Andrew Beaujon, senior editor of The Washingtonian. He tweeted a selfie showing himself and other Biden supporters celebrating near Lafayette Park, where National Guard troops used tear gas and pepper balls to disperse demonstrators for a Trump photo-op back in June.
Fox News correspondent Leland Vittert remarked Saturday night, "The street party is sort of dying off a little bit, but there's still the very pungent smell of marijuana which may be one of the reasons things have not really gotten out of hand. There was one report more bottles of champagne were sold in D.C. today than on some New Years'. We saw people poppin' bottles and spraying the crowd all afternoon. And you can see that guy with a bottle of champagne right over there."
Holding "You're Fired" signs and partying just feet from the White House, thousands of Biden supporters and Trump critics were seen drinking from champagne bottles. The owner of Rodmans grocery store on Wisconsin Ave NW told NBC D.C. their store sold out of champagne bottles amid sales which have dwarfed the previous two New Year's Eve celebrations combined.
The "Cha-Cha Slide" could be heard through loud speakers as dancing Biden supporters reveled in Trump's announced defeat all Saturday afternoon. Echoes of "na na nah nah, hey hey hey, goodbye" could be heard in virtually every video recorded of the festivities.
"If the president looks out his window in the White House...this is the crowd he sees. A bunch of signs saying, "you're fired" and chanting," Vittert added, noting the U.S. Secret Service says nobody has yet attempted to climb the walls surrounding the White House property amid the partying.
Remarking on the celebrations, late Senator John McCain's daughter said Trump should be embarrassed by the joy his departure is bringing to so many Americans—particularly those in New York and Washington. New York bartenders and liquor store owners echoed the same sales sentiment, with Liam Johnson, an NYC bartender tweeting, "We sold out of champagne at the bar already so...."
"I can't imagine if my Dad lost and our hometown of Phoenix erupted in jubilation with people pouring champagne all over each other and singing and dancing. Maybe the Trump's don't give a shit about their hometown but... yeeeesssshhh...," tweeted Meghan McCain.
Newsweek reached out to Metropolitan Police and the Trump campaign for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Benjamin Fearnow is a reporter based out of Newsweek's New York City offices. He was previously at CBS and Mediaite ... Read more
