Brooklyn GOP holiday gala reveals strong support for Trump

The Brooklyn Republican 2023 holiday party on Monday evening at the Bay Ridge Manor, where a toy drive was held to benefit Memorial Sloan Kettering Children’s Hospital, showcased GOP unity, holiday warmth and good cheer — and was a smashing success overall.

However, it was impossible to ignore the 800-pound gorilla in the room: Donald J. Trump. 

In a Brooklyn Eagle exclusive, after the event, several Republican and Conservative leaders and elected officials in Bay Ridge were asked about their thoughts on the man, his policies, and whether or not they would throw their support behind Trump in the upcoming 2024 presidential race — in spite of the federal and state criminal charges he faces. 

“Trump will be the next president of the United States because people trust him, and they know he’ll be able to fix things,” explained former State Sen. Marty Golden. “You just have to look around. You wouldn’t see any of what’s going on in the world now if he were at the helm. You see what is happening in Ukraine and Russia – in Israel and Gaza – you wouldn’t see all of these millions of immigrants coming over the border. It’s just plain wrong.”

Golden also said that inflation is a disaster, crime is up, and people are “out of control.”

“That’s why I’m for Trump. None of this would have ever happened on his watch.” 

Golden added that former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who is also in the running, would make a great vice president. 

“But we’ve seen what Trump can do; we’ve seen what he’s done, and we want the same thing. It’s my children, it’s my children’s children. And if we can’t get that, it’s over.” 

Jerry Kassar, chair of the New York State Conservative Party, said “in all likelihood” his party will be endorsing Trump.

“We’re certainly going to be endorsing the Republican nominee, and we’ve endorsed Trump in the prior two elections,” Kassar noted. “He has a very close relationship with our party, and in the earlier days, he was a regular at our events and had an association with us for many years. I’ve spoken to him, and he’s previously asked for our endorsement.”

When asked about Haley, Kassar referred to her as “middle of the road — and the Conservative Party wants to go with a conservative-oriented candidate — like a Donald Trump,” he said.  

Richie Barsamian, chairman, Kings County Republican Party, did not specifically say he would support Trump, but pointed out that “What we need to do is bring change.” 

“As we go through the primary season, rest assured that whoever is the nominee of the Republican Party will have the unwavering support of myself, and all Republicans,” Barsamian said. “Let the primary process work itself out, and let the voice of the people be heard.” 

“We need Trump to turn everything around,” said Assemblymember Alec Brook-Krasny, 46th District (representing Sheepshead Bay, Gerritsen Beach, Georgetown and parts of Marine Park), who referred to the former president as “an American patriot.

“That’s who we need in the White House — unless we are all going to lose. My ultimate hope is that he will be on the top of the ticket. Sure, some people dislike him because of his character. But these days, when everything is bad, from small businesses, to safety — anti-Semitism, anti-Asian hate — we need not only a Republican president with a ‘hammer’ — but we need one with a ‘big hammer,’” he explained.

Assemblymember Michael Novakhov, 45th District (representing portions of Sheepshead Bay, Midwood, Manhattan Beach, Gravesend, and Brighton Beach), referred to Trump as “an amazing president.” 

“The bills he passed when in the White House were the most amazing bills ever signed by an American president,” Novakhov said, adding that at the same time he understands why people aren’t happy with his character. “But we are not choosing a person; we are choosing a president.

“As far as his core values and policies, that is something that I stand by 100 percent. I’d like to have Donald Trump in the White House for sure. Because we are losing the country and the next generation — and we need someone to save this country for the generations ahead,” he said

Assemblymember Lester Chang, 49th District (Bath Beach, Bensonhurst, Borough Park, and Dyker Heights), who was also at the event, told the Eagle this past November that change is what is needed in the White House. 

“It’s a tough job to be president of the United States,” Chang said. “And with respect to Joe Biden, we need a younger, healthier, and more aggressive person to run this country; this job is too important.” 

Asked if he would support a Donald Trump in next year’s presidential election, he would only say that Trump “represents strength, and can carry the message for our political party.” 

As of press time, Trump maintains a dominant position in the 2024 Republican presidential nominating contest, drawing the support of more than half of the party’s voters, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll this past Monday. The poll found that 61 percent of self-identified Republicans said they would vote for the former U.S. president in the state-by-state nominating contest to pick a challenger to Biden.

None of Trump’s rivals were anywhere close. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley were each backed by 11 percent of self-identified Republicans. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy stood at 5 percent, while former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie got 2 percent – and 8 percent said they were undecided. 

The first ballots of the 2024 U.S. elections will be cast in Iowa’s Republican caucus on Jan. 15.