The name of the event put things in the present tense: “America Is Hot Again.” The host was the Conservateur, an online lifestyle publication. Think Vogue meets National Review. (Recent headlines: “The Media’s Latest Buzzword: Misogyny”; “‘Trad Life’ Is a Spectrum, Not a Straitjacket”; “Trump & Elon — The Power Duo Saving America.”) Downey, a staff writer for National Review Online who also serves as the Conservateur’s editor in chief, stood under the soft glow of pendant lights and talked about an “objectively beautiful lifestyle” and an “objectively superior worldview” that had been under-recognized and underappreciated by mainstream fashion magazines.

“They’re glamorizing bad ideas,” she said of the mainstream outlets. “They’re glamorizing evil.”

To those in the room, President Donald Trump is an ally to hotness. Banning trans women from participating in women’s sports? That’s hot. Getting red dyes out of processed food? That’s hot. Slashing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives? That’s hot.

Tariffs? Not a concern. If prices go up, there’s always Ella-Rue, the luxury secondhand shop in Georgetown.

“All of us are big designer consignment shoppers,” Downey said in an interview.

Alex Bruesewitz, who helped usher Trump into the podcast “manosphere” during his campaign, was here. So was Link Lauren, who helped Robert F. Kennedy Jr. build his TikTok following. There were White House staffers from the communications office and the National Security Council. There were aides to members of Congress. The crowd was mostly women, but there were a few dozen men. “Everyone at this party can tell you what a woman is,” said Lauren, who was wearing a navy Ralph Lauren American flag sweater, a wardrobe staple of the MAGA youth.

The fashion vibe was country club meets J. Crew ad — button-ups, pleated skirts, blazers, bows, pearls. Most attendees appeared to be younger than 35 and had the liquor tolerances to prove it. There were specialty cocktails, such as the “Appeal to Heaven” (a gin and champagne drink named for a line from philosopher John Locke) and the “God & Country” (grapefruit juice and tequila — which is which, who’s to say?). Waitstaff circulated trays of caviar-coated canapés and steak tartare. By 9 p.m., the bar was packed, a huddled mass of sequins, tweed and florals.

“There isn’t a single uggo here!” said Caroline Winchester, 33.

And what, exactly, is making America hot?

“The Make America Hot Again movement is all about: You only live one life, so might as well be your hottest, best self possible,” said Jayme Leagh Franklin, a co-founder of the Conservateur.

Looking good is part of this: “It means confidence, it means taking care of your body, it means dressing well — not only for yourself but for others,” Downey said in an interview. But it’s not just about aesthetics. “It’s about owning your conservatism,” Lauren said.

It’s about being patriotic. It’s about saying what you want without regard for political correctness. It’s about being unashamed to put marriage and children at the center of a feminine identity.

Objectively, it was a party with swag and signature cocktails on the second floor of a Washington restaurant. But there was a sense of pride in the room — that history was on the right’s side and that broader cultural acceptance was soon to follow.

“Patriotism is back in style,” said Kisa Motiwala, a 25-year-old Hill staffer.

“There’s a lot of well-deserved joy in here,” said C.J. Pearson, 22, a conservative influencer and Gen Z political adviser.

“People used to look at us as outcasts, but now we’re leading the culture moment,” said Janiyah Thomas, 27, who worked as Trump’s Black media director for his 2024 campaign. “It’s cool to be MAGA now.”