WILMINGTON, Del. — Just before midnight on Monday, workers darted in and out a side door of the grand old Hotel du Pont, pausing for brief cigarette breaks or a chat, then getting back to setting up for an unspecified event. The effort had been underway for hours, at least.
“Can’t tell you,” one man said when asked why everyone was working so late.
The setup in an ornate ballroom — soft purple and blue lighting, screens, possibly a sound system — could be for anything, or anyone.
But as Mr. Biden’s advisers prepare for an imminent vice-presidential announcement and Mr. Biden plans to accept the presidential nomination from Delaware next week, it is worth noting that the Hotel du Pont was where he announced his 1972 Senate candidacy. It is also where he has made major political appearances in the decades since — including, in March, the last in-person event he held before the coronavirus shuttered the campaign trail for months.
Workers who were seen setting up for the event at the hotel appeared to be from BNY Production, a company that has been a frequent vendor for the Biden campaign, according to Federal Election Commission records. A truck from Wizard Studios, another event-production company that has worked for the campaign, was also parked outside the hotel on Monday.
By Tuesday morning, the doors to the street were closed, but an open door leading from the hotel lobby revealed large screens set up under the room’s chandeliers.
A Biden spokesman did not comment Tuesday morning when asked about the signs of a potential Biden event.