Rebekah Mercer played a pivotal role in persuading Donald Trump to bring on three close allies of hers to run the campaign, Steve Bannon, Kellyanne Conway and David Bossie. | Getty Trump attends donor’s 'Villains and Heroes' party — as himself

President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday night attended a lavish costume party on Long Island hosted by his biggest donors, the Mercer family.

Two sources with knowledge of Trump's plans confirmed to POLITICO on Saturday afternoon that Trump would attend the “Villains and Heroes”-themed party later in the day. A Bloomberg article reported that invitations featured “a sword-wielding centurion crouching in an ancient ruin, facing down a serpent-haired Medusa.”


According to a Saturday evening pool report, Trump's motorcade arrived at the party at 8:35 p.m. As Trump entered, dressed in a dark suit, overcoat and tie, he was asked who he was dressed as. Pointing at himself, the president-elect mouthed the word "Me.” Neither his wife, Melania Trump, nor Trump's children attended. Top aide Steve Bannon and former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway attended, with Conway dressed as Super Woman, according to the pool report.

Spokespeople for Trump had declined earlier in the day to comment on his plans for the evening, as did spokespeople for the Mercer family.

Although Trump during the campaign decried the influence of big donors, the Mercer family played a major role in his campaign and has wielded vast influence in his transition.

The family patriarch, hedge fund tycoon Robert Mercer, donated $2 million to a pro-Trump super PAC that came to be run by his daughter Rebekah Mercer, who controls the family’s political operations.

Rebekah Mercer played a pivotal role in persuading Trump to bring on three close allies of hers to run the campaign — incoming White House senior counselor Bannon and top campaign officials Conway and David Bossie.

The Mercer family had funded various ventures run by all three, including the pro-Trump super PAC, which was run by Conway and Bossie before they joined the campaign and Mercer took over herself.

Rebekah Mercer now sits on Trump’s transition team executive committee and has played a significant role in shaping his nascent administration and political operation, as POLITICO revealed last month.

Conway told Bloomberg the costume party would be "the hottest ticket in town” and said she was planning to go as Bannon, describing him as a villain to the press but a hero to many others, though she ended up dressing as Super Woman.

Honoring the ultimate hero at the Mercer "Heroes and Villians" party on Long Island. Crowd thrilled w/ surprise! pic.twitter.com/VQAyaKvs6i — Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) December 4, 2016

The Mercers have hosted the party at their estate on Long Island’s North Shore around the holidays in each of the past several years.

It’s become an increasingly hot ticket as the Mercers have become bigger players in conservative politics.

Robert Mercer and his youngest daughter, Heather Sue Mercer, are competitive poker players, and past years' parties have featured blackjack and poker tables. The Mercers supply chips — free of charge — that can be redeemed at the end of the night for lavish prizes such as gold Rolexes, according to people who have attended.

Staff and security at the event were dressed as Hell's Angels and retro Salvation Army members, according to the pool report.