New York City

I spent the night at ‘The Deplorables,’ a pro-Trump charity gala in NYC

November 8, 2019 Mary Frost
Terrance Williams, known as the “president’s favorite comedian.” Photo by Mary Frost
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Outspoken supporters of Donald Trump are rare in New York City. But on Wednesday night, more than 150 of them gathered together to enjoy each others’ company and support the president.

The occasion: “The Deplorables,” a Broadway charity benefit complete with music, comedy, dinner, drinks, American flags and relentless patriotism.

Attendees lined up on the sidewalk outside The Secret Room venue, which has no identifying signage, and pre-show security was tight. A tall bouncer with a neck tattoo (“Living the Warrior Life”) triple-checked guests’ credentials. Some passersby asked people what show they were lined up for. Their answers were vague.

The guests, many of whom learned about the event while watching Fox television, spoke amongst themselves about the experience of supporting Trump while living in New York.

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“If you go to Texas and you’re a Democrat, do you get abused? Do you get kicked out of restaurants? Do you get beat up? No! It’s so one-way,” one man said.

“New York State is anti-gun,” another man said. “So if you own a store here, they can rob you. Cops won’t show up, and you don’t have a gun to defend yourself.”

Inside The Secret Room, video monitors played an endless loop showcasing blond girls singing “Trust in God but vote Republican,” alongside crowds cheering at what looked like a presidential inauguration. The video also showed scenes depicting military heroism and, in one photo, President Trump’s head superimposed on an astronaut’s body.

In starring roles at the four-hour extravaganza were singer-actor Robert Davi; comedian Steve “Mudflap” McGrew; and headliner Terrence Williams, billed by the event as the “president’s favorite comedian.”

The crowd buzzed as Jeanine Piro, host of Fox News Channel’s “Justice with Judge Jeanine,” made her way to a table. Waitresses wove through the crowd with shrimp cocktail and fried chicken cutlet appetizers.

The Deplorable Cocktail list included the Bye Bye Blasio (“Buy this for the privilege of paying 65 percent city tax”); The Beto (“Mexican drink but not really”); the Biden Brainbanger (“Drink this and you wan’t remember anything ever again”) and Bernie On the Rocker. (“You don’t pay for it. Find the richest guy and he’ll pay.”)

Julio Gonzalez, chairman and chief executive of Engineered Tax Services, which specializes in the preservation of wealth, told the audience the idea was “to bring comedy and music to people across America who were forgotten.”

Davi, a Sinatra stylist, said, “There’s one guy who’s taking incoming that I’ve never seen before in my lifetime. The strength of this guy and the persistence of him and the love of the country. So we all stand there for the president of the United States.”

Singer Robert Davi entertains. Eagle photo by Mary Frost
Singer Robert Davi entertains. Eagle photo by Mary Frost

Davi got a big hand as he walked among the tables, singing crowd pleasers like “Mr. Bojangles,” and “The House I live In,” sounding much like Ol’ Blue Eyes.

Comedian McGrew, originally from Oklahoma, had the crowd in stitches.

“Growing up on a farm, I used to shoot the bulls’ balls off all the time. I know it’s wrong now … It’s funny as hell when you’re 8!” he said, imitating the sound made by a consternated bull. “You can shoot a bull like eight, nine times and he’ll just moooh, and then go back to eatin.”

Williams took to the stage, playing a video of Trump declaring he was one of the comedian’s biggest fans. “He’s a talented, talented guy,” Trump said in the video.

“President Trump, the best president ever! What these Democrats are trying to do to him is criminal,” Williams said to enthusiastic applause. “They know the president’s going to win in 2020. Because if they didn’t think he was going to win, they would not be trying to impeach him right now.”

“President Trump do need to build that wall, and he needs to build it tall,” he said, adding that poison ivy should be planted around the wall.

Williams called U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff a traitor. “If he was a Republican, Schiff would be in jail right now. He would be facing a jury right now just like Roger Stone. He needs to be locked up.”

He also disparaged U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, saying, “We need to get rid of AOC ASAP!”

Seeking solidarity

The Brooklyn Eagle asked guests what brought them to the event.

Jill Mazur, who grew up in New York and now lives in Houston, Texas, said she was invited to the event by Gonzalez of Engineered Tax Services, “who put all this together.”

“No matter where you are, the conservative voice gets muffled because the liberals can be so loud,” Mazur said. “And I think they forget that just because they can’t hear you doesn’t mean you’re not there.”

Michael Rosenblatt, from Long Island, said he was invited by Mazur. A big supporter of Trump, Rosenblatt feels his voice has been left out, “very much so.”

A man who refused to give his name (but who hinted he had traveled to NYC from “a place where politics resides”), said he wanted people in New York City to know, “What you hear on the news is not even close to the truth. And we know it for a fact.”

The man he was with refused to speak to this reporter. “I only talk to conservative Republicans,” he said.

Becky, from Charlotte but in town for an investment conference, said that at the event, “We can be cheerful about a growing economy and not have somebody look at us like we’ve got a cesspool on our face or something.”

Real estate and law consultant Jill Quentzel Winston, a Jersey girl who has lived in New York, spoke about the quid pro quo issue.

“You cannot look at the situation we have here and say that Biden’s corrupt intent is less important than Trump’s positive intent. He had an intent of investigating corruption. Biden had an intent of being corrupt and then hiding that corruption,” she said.

Nina, who lives in Great Neck, was born in Iran. She said her experiences becoming an American citizen led to her supporting Trump.

“I’m Jewish, and after the Revolution we were basically kicked out. We had to escape from Iran literally on foot. We hired a coyote to take us into Pakistan.”

“I just don’t want this country to become a place where you can’t talk and can’t celebrate who you vote for,” she said. At “The Deplorables” event, she said she felt she could “finally be around people who are like-minded, who celebrate freedom, who celebrate open-mindedness.”

Nina’s husband is from Brooklyn, but declined to comment for this article.

New York City Instagram personality “King Face” was wearing a blue MAGA hat. “It matches the outfit,” he said. He described himself as “a viral political star. … I’m just a proud American who wants to support his country.”

“The most important thing to know is that you can do whatever you want to do in this country. You have nothing holding you back,” King Face said. “Especially as African American, we had that mentality, we think things are against us. But Donald Trump is not about black or white, he’s about America first. And that’s what I love about him.”

Jojo, from Manhattan, said she is active in the Conservative and Republican parties.

“I didn’t think we had the best and the brightest with the best intentions in Washington, D.C. We had way too many lifelong politicians … I’m a fan of put your head down, go to work, and be a servant for this country,” she said.

“In 2016, the best that the Democrats could come up with is Hillary Clinton,” Jojo added. “We’re going into the 2020 elections, and there is no front runner.”

Trump “is not polished in some ways,” Jojo admits, but “I think his intentions are much better than what comes across.”

Profits from the show — tickets were $250 — benefited The Folded Flag Foundation and the Federal Enforcement Homeland Security Foundation.


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5 Comments

  1. Fairly written article. Glad to see real journalism exists within the Brooklyn Eagle. It’s been said, “If everyone is thinking alike, then no one is thinking at all.” That’s what individual thinking is about. And everyone’s entitled to it, on a fair platform. But unfair is the way conservatives have to minimize their presence for fear of retaliation from those who oppose their opinions. When will liberals realize they are suppressing the rights of freedom seekers, the very reason and fundamental principle this country was founded on.

    • Conservatives have multiple platforms, including the same platforms as everyone else AND platforms that only they have access to, to express how they feel and what they think. What you think of as “retaliation” is having to defend your opinions and your vote for hideous people like Donald Trump. The fact that you think of having any pushback against your positions is somehow suppressing your free speech smacks of the snowflakery you are so ready to accuse anyone else of. When will conservatives realize they are actually the most triggered of all?
      This event sounds pathetic and it speaks volumes that even there people were unwilling to give their names; they know their continued support for Donald Trump is viewed as reprehensible by most of the world.

  2. poorboyhome

    first time reading the eagle! some very good new news for me! I believe the things I have read are truly unbiased!! which is a revelation in todays times! gives many people views, and that is what I like!