The New York Young Republican Club held its 112th annual gala on Sunday at Cipriani Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, where over 1,000 conservative media figures, political operatives, social media influencers, and lawmakers were in attendance.
“There is only one path forward for Republican success, and it is through Trumpism,” said Gavin Wax, the club’s president, in his opening address.
Keynote speaker Steve Bannon reflected on the election victory of the Republican Party and the role that the young Republicans played in it.
“You’re gonna take this back from the streets. And that’s what the New York Young Republicans are. You know why? You guys have the same quality Donald Trump has. You know what that is? Swagger,” said Bannon.
President-elect Donald Trump, who attended last year, sent in multiple videos that aired through the night, thanking attendees for their support. Trump also called into the event to address the gathering over the phone.
At one point, Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz toppled over the podium, causing a moment of pandemonium. Bruesewitz was rushed out of the hall and received medical treatment backstage.
Conservative commentator, Jack Posobiec, posted on X that Bruesewitz “is getting checked out by medical after having a brief fainting spell onstage. All levels are normal. Only thing he asked me was, ‘Did it look cool?’ He’ll be just fine.”
The main theory discussed by those in attendance was that Bruesewitz possibly had restricted blood flow due to locking his knees in place, causing him to pass out temporarily.
“I know that Alex is going to be fine because he’s a tough son of a gun. There’s no doubt about that. So I want to say hello to Alex, because he’s a very special guy,” Trump said, after speaker Dan Scavino, who Bruesewitz was set to introduce, called the president-elect.
Scavino has worked with Trump for over 30 years and is currently slated to serve as assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff in the second Trump Administration.
Trump was unable to attend the gala, as he was having dinner at Mar-a-Lago with Akie Abe, the widow of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Trump and Abe maintained a close personal relationship until the Japanese leader was assassinated in 2022.
In one of the videos, Trump hinted that he may return to the gala in 2025.
The annual event has become one of the biggest nights in all of right-wing politics nationwide. Some of the high-profile attendees this year were former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, British Member of Parliament Nigel Farage, Assistant Secretary of State-designate Monica Crowley, former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, and reporter Raheem Kassam, who served as the evening’s master of ceremonies.
“The New York Young Republican Club is honored to share this historic evening with the entire conservative movement,” Brent Morden, the club’s Gala Chairman, told NTD News.
