‘The Ultimate MAGA’: Global And Domestic Right Gathers, Ready For A New Trump Era 

NEW YORK — Sunday night offered a sneak preview of what life might be like in President-elect Donald Trump’s second term at the annual black tie gala of Manhattan’s most MAGA political club. It’s a world where fringe media outlets are ascendant, a new wave of religious leaders are mixing politics and prayer, the global right-wing is rejoicing, and more established press are being subjected to a new level of restrictions and derision. 

The New York Young Republicans Club is an organization that’s over a century old. These days, the group embodies the new GOP with a leadership that unapologetically embraces Trump, strident culture war politics, and a bare-knuckled approach to it all. According to the club’s leaders, this strategy has led to an eightfold surge in membership. The group also helped stage at least one memorable event for Trump in New York during his successful campaign. 

Trump, who attended the gala last year, was unable to make it this time around. However, in taped remarks from Mar-a-Lago, he credited the club with helping him win last month’s election.

“I attribute a lot of it to the people in the room tonight, so I just hope you’re having a fantastic time,” Trump said. “I wish I could be with you, but I’m doing a couple of other things. You probably heard about that, but I’ll be with you, most likely, next year.”

The celebratory crowd included figures from both the American and global far right. Gavin McInnes, the founder of the Proud Boys, mingled in the room ahead of the speeches. He wouldn’t speak with TPM. 

A contingent wearing U.S.-Germany flag pins was (slightly) more talkative. One of them introduced himself as Markus, and declined to give his last name. When asked if they were members of the Alternative for Deutschland (AfD), a far-right German political party whose founder once called for a “180 degree change in their politics of commemoration” while referring to Berlin’s Holocaust memorial, they said yes. 

“We are not here on AfD’s behalf,” Markus said, before the conversation ended. 

In another conversation, TPM spoke with Marco Spina, an Italian who introduced himself as national secretary of the youth wing of the country’s Republican Party. That was less expected: the Italian Republicans lean towards the center, though Spina became extremely exercised after TPM asked about the country’s current prime minister, Giorgia Meloni. She had made a big mistake in bowing down to Biden, Spina said. At another point, TPM spotted Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) posing for a photo along with Miklos Szantho, director-general of Hungary’s Center for Fundamental Rights, a nonprofit that is a strong supporter of the country’s authoritarian leader, Viktor Orbán. Gosar and Szantho, who also delivered remarks on stage, later appeared on Instagram posing together.

The event even featured a representative from a country that does not exist: the New Federal State of China, a supposed Chinese government-in-exile formed by Trump adviser Steve Bannon and indicted billionaire Guo Wengui. Forrest Zhou, the ersatz government’s secretary general, introduced himself to TPM as a friend of Bannon’s, and said he had come to help gin up support for the movement.

The audience also included some of the unconventional internet broadcasters who have been seen as a major driver of Trump’s political momentum. Elijah Schaffer is a podcaster who has worked with multiple right-wing news organizations including Gateway Pundit, which is infamous for publishing what CNN has described as “baseless right-wing conspiracy theories.” TPM asked Schaffer about a recent report that a top aide who serves as a “gatekeeper” for information that reaches the president-elect considers Gateway Pundit “one of her go-to news sources.” As he settled in at a table near the stage, Schaffer said he feels the site is clearly having an influence on Trump.

“I think the most important part is that, like, whether or not he talks about it or not, you can hear our original reporting in some of the speeches,” Schaffer said. “So, his speech writers are reading us.”

Schaffer’s past use of slurs and mockery of minority groups has led some to brand him a “racist.” It’s a label he doesn’t necessarily shy away from. 

“It doesn’t bother me,” Schaffer said. “I mean, racism in and of itself is not inherently bad. Like discrimination and racism are just, there are ways that you can view the world to judge entire groups of people by the common patterns that they exhibit.”

Indeed, many of the guests and speakers at the gala described Trump’s win as evidence that the norms that have governed modern society are changing. Father Josiah Trenham, an Orthodox Christian priest, stood near the stage in a long black robe before the evening’s program began. In a brief conversation with TPM, he attributed growing interest in Orthodox Christianity to a “massive cultural shift … that was provoked by the tyranny of COVID.” Trenham went on to deliver a prayer from the gala stage.

“Lord God, as we partake of this meal and this evening together, bless our food and drink and grant to us the ultimate MAGA,” Trenham said. 

The evening’s master of ceremonies was Raheem Kassam, editor of The National Pulse site and co-founder of Bannon’s “War Room” broadcast. Kassam also mockingly flirted with the “racist” label as he teased NYYRC recording secretary Alexander Zhik, who is Jewish. 

“I want to go back to my good buddy Alex Zhik … Shmuley as I call him for explicitly racist reasons,” Kassam said.

Kassam continued his riff on Zhik’s religion with a reference to one of the night’s big themes, the Daniel Penny case.

“Shmuley is the one guy I know who as a lawyer was not interested in the Daniel Penny case until he heard his surname,” Kassam said. 

Apparently, even in this new era, there are some limits. Kassam’s remark drew a smattering of boos. Soon thereafter, he described Natalie Winters, a co-host of Steve Bannon’s podcast, as “Nazi barbie.” 

While pro-Trump media outlets were taking the stage and enjoying the catered meal, the rest of the press was given a rather different reception. Lucian Wintrich, who served as a White House correspondent for Gateway Pundit during Trump’s first term, is the NYYRC’s “press chairman.” He sent an email with guidelines for the event to TPM and others who signed up to cover the proceedings. In that message, Wintrich indicated some of the media contingent would receive minders from the club.

“Without naming names, it was noted that a few press applicants have previously written stories schizophrenically calling modern Conservatives and ‘Trump supporters’ a number of unfounded names followed by fake news coverage. In spite of that, and in the spirit of an open press and access, we have decided to admit those ‘journalists’ for coverage,” Wintrich wrote. “Such being said, the most egregious offenders will receive the Christmas gift of their own personal ‘elf’ (NYYRC Gala volunteer) escort to make certain they will neither harass nor misquote attendees. Should this be witnessed and reported, credentials will be revoked.”

When TPM arrived at the venue we learned that one of our reporters, Hunter Walker, was on this list. Wintrich informed us he was “one of four” to receive an escort. 

“You’re particularly shitty and egregious,” Wintrich explained, adding, “My god. It’s a paint-by-the-numbers liberal way of reporting that I’m sure you’re aware of.”

Walker was accompanied by an NYYRC volunteer named Ryan throughout the evening. Ryan was incredibly thorough. Ryan switched his cellphone wallpaper to a photo of Walker’s face to help him keep tabs. He even escorted Walker to the bathroom. 

“That was my first time watching a reporter pee,” Ryan said after one trip.

NYYRC volunteers also downloaded the social media platform Bluesky so they could keep tabs on TPM’s live coverage of the event. 

The night’s final keynote speaker was Bannon, the combative Trump adviser, who noted what the media might expect over the president-elect’s term. 

“We want retribution and we’re going to get retribution,” Bannon said, adding, “They never in a million years thought we’d be back in power and they need to learn what populous nationalist power is on the receiving end. I mean, investigations, trials, and then incarceration — and I’m just talking about the media.” 

TPM’s minder, Ryan, apparently wanted to make sure we got Bannon’s message.

“That’s you!” Ryan said. “You’re going to get locked up.”