A motorcade for the Donald Trump presidential election campaign traveled eastbound along Main Street through Aspen en route to a private fundraiser held at the home of Amy and John Phelan on Aug. 10. Trump, who was elected 47th president of the United States on Nov. 5, nominated John Phelan to be secretary of the Department of the Navy on Nov. 26, before taking office in January.
Aspen’s place in modern presidential history does not come out of thin air.
Most recently came Donald Trump’s August stop in Aspen to raise money for his presidential campaign. Held at the home of GOP donors John and Amy Phelan, the private affair carried historic significance in its own right.
Of the individuals and couples comprising the eight hosts named on the event’s invitation — Trump nominated one of them as the secretary of the United States Navy and another one ambassador to Costa Rica.
John Phelan, announced by Trump as his Navy secretary nominee on Nov. 26, is awaiting confirmation, first with the Senate Committee on Armed Services. A hearing date had not been set as of Friday.
Trump also disclosed Feb. 5 on Truth Social that Mindy Hildebrand, another host of the Aspen fundraiser, is his pick to be ambassador to Costa Rica.
In his second round as president, Trump’s choices for secretary and ambassador positions for the most part have been intended to dismantle the status quo. Though the experience and views of many of the nominees have been questioned and criticized, they have cleared confirmation. Supporters of Trump’s selections argue they will be true to the president’s mission of undoing what he has claimed to be reckless and inefficient management institutionalized by the federal government.
“Phelan, a political outsider not tethered to hidebound traditions, is well-positioned to do just that,” wrote Steve Deal, former deputy chief of staff to the secretary of the Navy and deputy chief learning officer for the Department of the Navy, in the American Conservative on Feb. 4. “If confirmed, he might even prove as impactful a Navy secretary as some of his most distinguished predecessors.”
Critics counter Republicans are voting favorably for Trump’s picks, despite their lack of experience and/or unconventional leanings, because they fear political retribution from the president if they vote against his nominees.
Aspen homeowner John Phelan is pictured. In August, he and his wife, Amy, held a fundraiser for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign at their home in east Aspen. Trump announced in November after his re-election to the Oval Office that Phelan was his nominee for secretary of the United States Navy. The confirmation of Phelan, the founder of the private investment firm Rugger Management LLC, is pending.
Phelan has no prior military experience or civilian leadership role in the service. Military experience, however, is not a prerequisite for the position.
Under United States Code, Title 10, “There is a Secretary of the Navy, appointed from civilian life by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Secretary shall, to the greatest extent practicable, be appointed from among persons most highly qualified for the position by reason of background and experience, including persons with appropriate management or leadership experience. The Secretary is the head of the Department of the Navy.”
In his announcement that Phelan was his nominee, Trump said: “It is my great honor to announce John Phelan as our next United States Secretary of the Navy! John will be a tremendous force for our Naval Servicemembers, and a steadfast leader in advancing my America First vision. He will put the business of the U.S. Navy above all else.”
Trump’s announcement lauded Phelan’s achievements as founder of Rugger Management LLC and co-founding Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell’s private investment firm MSD Capital LP.
Phelan could not be reached for comment through Spirit of America, a military-themed nonprofit he chairs, or the Navy, which noted he is not yet the secretary.
Phelan has been a heavyweight in the art world and was a key figure in getting the controversial Aspen Art Museum built.
According to an Aspen Times article written by Andre Salvail, now editor-in-chief of the Aspen Daily News, a groundbreaking event for the new museum attracted nearly 100 people in August 2011.
The invitation for Donald Trump’s fundraising visit to Aspen in August identified eight hosts of the gathering. After he was elected in November, Trump announced that John Phelan, who with his wife, Amy, held the function at their Aspen home, was his nominee for secretary of the United States Navy. More recently, on Feb. 5, Trump said on Truth Social that Mindy Hildebrand, also a host of the Aspen fundraiser, was being appointed U.S. ambassador to Costa Rica. Another Aspen fundraiser host, Andrew McKenna, was reported by Politico to be in consideration for potential secretary of the U.S. Air Force. Trump put that issue to rest with a Truth Social post on Jan. 13: “…McKenna will not be invited to join the Trump Administration as Secretary of the Air Force, or anything else. That is Fake News put out by Politico!”
Then director and chief curator Heidi Zuckerman Jacobson praised Phelan, the board’s vice president and later co-president, for his “equal impact on this project. His remarkable efforts have brought us to this point where we can today call this spot museum grounds. … Never once have we not thoroughly weighed every decision to be made, under his guidance.”
The museum opened in August 2014.
Phelan’s contributions also have extended into the political landscape; he and his wife, a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader and art aficionado, donated $930,000 to Trump’s joint fundraising committee and more than $1 million to other Republican campaigns in 2024, according to FEC records.
Another host of the Trump fundraiser in Aspen was Melinda Hildebrand. On Feb. 5, Trump announced she “will serve as the next United States Ambassador to Costa Rica. Melinda is an incredibly successful businesswoman and philanthropist, who serves as the Vice Chair of the Hildebrand Foundation, and Vice President of Hilcorp Ventures Inc. She is also the President and Owner of the popular River Oaks Donuts. She will fight tirelessly to protect America’s Interests abroad, especially in Trade and Immigration.”
Hildebrand’s billionaire husband Jeffery Hildebrand, also a host at the Aspen fundraiser, founded Hilcorp Energy Co. The couple also hosted a Trump fundraiser at their Houston residence, according to reports.
Trump’s picks have been the source of critical commentary from the left, but his approach is not pioneering. The roster of ambassadors nominated by his predecessor, President Joe Biden, comprised mainly big-time donors.
“Although federal law explicitly stipulates that contributions to political campaigns should not be a factor in the appointment of ambassadors, every Republican and Democratic president of the modern era has appointed ambassadors who were wealthy political donors with limited or nonexistent credentials for foreign service,” says a report issued by the Washington, D.C.-based Campaign Legal Center, which is “a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization,” according to its website.
“In total, President Biden’s ambassador nominees and their spouses gave at least $22,511,010.36 in direct contributions to Democratic committees in the 10 years prior to their nomination. In fact, 82% contributed at least $10,000, or bundled at least $100,000. And except for Cindy McCain, who serves as Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture, every single ‘political’ ambassador nominee made some contribution to Democratic committees in the ten years prior to their nomination,” the report states.
This caption is taken verbatim from The Associated Press’ description from the time: “British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and U.S. President George H. Bush walk through the garden at the estate of Ambassador Henry Catto, US Ambassador to Britain, prior to their talks near Aspen in Woody Creek, Colorado, Thursday, Aug. 2, 1990. The meeting had been scheduled to discuss the changing face of Europe. At a press conference, President Bush called for Iraq to withdraw its troops from Kuwait denouncing the invasion as ‘naked aggression.’”
The report calls for reform in what it called “the donor-to-ambassador pipeline as a status quo.”
“The Senate confirms donor-ambassadors in all but a select few cases. Presidents, of course, must stop engaging in this corrupt and illegal practice, but senators could stop it today by simply declining to confirm ambassadors who are not meaningfully qualified. Additionally, a blue ribbon commission of past career diplomats could provide guidelines for confirmation hearings, including minimum questions that must be asked and formally answered.”
One host of Trump’s fundraiser in Aspen had been reported by Politico to be in top contention for Trump’s secretary of the U.S. Air Force. But Pilot Andrew McKenna, a major Trump donor, private pilot and owner of a Washington consulting firm, was ruled out of consideration in January for reasons not clear. Trump was clear, however, that McKenna was on no wishlists of the president’s.
“Andrew McKenna will not be invited to join the Trump Administration as Secretary of the Air Force, or anything else,” Trump posted on his Truth Social account on Jan. 13. “That is Fake News put out by Politico!”
Visitors to the Aspen Art Museum receive free admission because of contributions made by philanthropist couple John and Amy Phelan. John Phelan, a major GOP donor, has been tapped by President Donald Trump to be secretary of the United States Navy. Phelan is awaiting confirmation.
One of Trump’s most polarizing nominees, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., cleared Senate confirmation on Thursday to be secretary of Health and Human Services, despite his anti-vaccine positions and other controversial stances on medicine and health. RFK’s presidential fundraising stops in Aspen — a place the Kennedy family has visited for decades — included a private fundraiser and an interview on GrassRoots Television by Dr. Tom Lankering.
“I don’t attack President Trump personally; I talk about his issues. I don’t talk about Hunter Biden or his issues, or President Biden in a negative way. I talk about their issues rather than their personal integrity. What I’ve tried to do with this campaign is find the values that we all share in common rather than focus on these little issues, these cultural issues, that keep us all at each others’ throats,” he said during the interview.
Federal campaign records show RJK Jr. raised nearly $250,000 from Pitkin County ZIP codes during his presidential campaign. That included an in-kind contribution of $105,300 to Kennedy’s political action committee, American Values 2024.
The contribution? Alpaca shawls and shipping, paid for by Aspen resident Daniel Adams, co-founder with his wife of Alicia Adams Alpaca.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared Dec. 28, 2023, on GrassRoots Television during his presidential bid. Kennedy, who was interviewed by Dr. Tom Lankering, received Senate confirmation on Thursday to be secretary of President Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services.
Woody Creek summit
The Aspen area’s most notable meeting in modern history could very well have been the private meeting between British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President George H.W. Bush at the Woody Creek ranch of Henry Catto, U.S. ambassador to Britain, on Aug. 2, 1990, the day Iraq invaded Kuwait.
Earlier that morning Bush, speaking to reporters, said he was not planning on U.S. intervention. That was before he met with Thatcher in Woody Creek later that day, having flown to Colorado from Washington, D.C., for the Aspen Institute’s 40th anniversary celebration, the same reason the prime minister was there.
There would be more urgent matters. Legend has it that this is when Thatcher told Bush, “This is no time to go wobbly, George.”
The president and prime minister, holding a press conference from Catto’s ranch that afternoon after meeting privately, said they “agreed to press for what Bush called ‘collective efforts’ by members of the United Nations to bring about a cease-fire and the withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait,” The Washington Post reported at the time.
“Iraq has violated and taken over the territory of a country which is a full member of the United Nations,” said Thatcher, emphasizing the UN Security Council’s demand that Iraq withdraw its troops from Kuwait. “That is totally unacceptable. If it were be allowed to endure, there would be many other small countries that could never feel safe.” At the same press conference, Bush called Iraq’s invasion “naked aggression.”
When McCain met the Dalai Lama
Fast forward nearly 30 years later to another private meeting, this one between John McCain and the Dalai Lama at a West End home in July 2008. The 45-minute talk prompted the late U.S. Republican senator representing Arizona to publicly call for China to release Tibetan prisoners. The meeting also came a month ahead of the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. McCain urged for humanity from the Chinese government.
“The Dalai Lama has time and again emphasized that he asked only that the Tibetan people are provided with basic rights to preserve their culture, language and religious beliefs,” said McCain, who was running for president at the time, in a statement to the press. “I urge the Chinese leaders to engage in talks and make progress with his Holiness’ representatives in addressing the just grievances of the Tibetan people. I urge the Chinese government to release Tibetan political prisoners, account for Tibetans that have, quote, disappeared since the protests in March and engage in meaningful dialogue and genuine autonomy for Tibet.”
The only time a sitting U.S. president visited Aspen was during that Bush visit, though other Oval Office hopefuls — from Bill and Hillary Clinton, to Joe Biden to the Barack Obama family — have found the area’s grounds to be fertile for campaign dollars and speaking engagements.
