KEY POINTS
- Bruesewitz first said he was forgetting his lines, then fell silent and collapsed
- Trump then phoned in to help calm the audience down, saying his campaign advisor will be fine
- Trump also noted that New York, which he lost to Kamala Harris, is “turning Republican”
President-elect Donald Trump phoned in Sunday night during the 112th Young Republican Gala in New York City to calm the crowd down after one of his campaign advisors, Alex Bruesewitz, collapsed while giving a speech on stage.
Bruesewitz was delivering a speech when he seemed to stutter and said he was starting to “forget my words.” He then fell silent and within seconds, fell on his right side and toppled the lectern he was holding on to.
Activist Jack Posobiec later said Bruesewitz was responding and was getting checked by medical staff “after having a brief fainting spell.” Posobiec said Bruesewitz “will be just fine” as the Trump advisor only asked, “Did it look cool?” after he fainted.
After the shocking moment on-stage, Trump called former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino as the latter spoke to the audience, saying he believes Bruesewitz will be fine “because he’s a tough son of a gun.”
The incoming U.S. president then thanked members of the New York Young Republican Club and proceeded to remind them of how “we almost won New York” in the 2024 elections even if Trump wasn’t able to spend much campaign time in the state.
New York has been a very reliable “blue state” over the years, but things appeared to shift in the lead-up to the elections. “It’s turning Republican. New York is turning Republican,” he said to wild cheers from the crowd.
Election results show that outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris won New York. Trump fell short of less than a million votes, and in several counties, his statements regarding New York turning red may hold weight.
In Rensselaer, the numbers were close, with Harris at 49.9% as Trump closed in with 48.9%. The figures were quite similar in Saratoga. Trump also made significant gains with Latino voters in the Bronx area and improved support in areas of Queens that are known to be heavy with immigrants.
Multiple media outlets pointed out that even if Trump lost New York to his Democratic foe, the numbers clearly indicate that he is slowly winning over the Empire State’s voters.
Meanwhile, details are scant regarding the medical nature of Bruesewitz’s collapse and he has yet to make an official statement on the matter.