Trump supporters look for disaffected Democrats in West Hollywood and Beverly Hills
Supporters of President Trump and counter-protesters converged in West Hollywood and Beverly Hills on Sunday in a small but raucous confrontation that included a performance from a pro-Trump punk rock icon and remarks from a disgraced ex-congressman.
At a rally aimed at encouraging voters to leave the Democratic Party, former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz portrayed the Republican Party as "patriotic and joyful" while denigrating the opposition as "angry and lonely."
"They are the movement that allowed this great state to burn," Gaetz said. "They are the movement that turned what was paradise over to the homeless and illegal aliens."
Gaetz, currently hosting a political news show for One America News Network from San Diego, had stepped down from his congressional seat after Trump nominated him to be the nation's attorney general. The nomination sparked controversy because Gaetz was previously under investigation by the Department of Justice for allegations of child sex trafficking. After a long-running probe, prosecutors did not file charges.
Gaetz ultimately withdrew himself from consideration for the attorney general post. In December, the House Ethics Committee reported that it had found evidence that he abused drugs and paid for sex, including with a minor, while serving in Congress.
Gaetz's scandal-ridden history went unmentioned at the rally Sunday, where he beckoned those disaffected with the left to join Republicans.
"If you come to our side," he told a few hundred attendees, "we will welcome you with a patriotic embrace."
Though tense at times, the rally, dubbed the 'American Restoration Tour,' was largely peaceful, with the exception of a small fight and an arrest. Private security guards tackled a man who appeared to be wearing a kilt and yelling. He appeared to be handcuffed by police officers as Trump supporters chanted 'U.S.A.'
One person was arrested at the rally on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, said Beverly Hills police Sgt. Richard Billingsley, although it was unclear if it was the same individual seen detained by officers. No additional details about the incident were available Sunday evening.
The rally was held in Beverly Gardens Park, a lush green space that runs parallel to Santa Monica Boulevard and has been the site of frequent demonstrations in support of Trump. Although much of the affluent Westside skews liberal, Beverly Hills is home to neighborhoods that repeatedly voted for Trump.
Read more: Trump vs. Harris results: Whom did your neighborhood vote for?
Shiva Bagheri, the organizer of some pro-Trump gatherings there in 2020, told the crowd that she fled Iran because of the impact of 'radical Islam' on the nation. Bagheri said she voted for President Obama, but the 'bubble was popped' because he gave 'boatloads of cash to Iran.'
A through-line of the roughly two-hour rally were speakers like Bagheri: former liberals who felt disenfranchised by the Democratic Party and became full-throated Trump supporters.
Actress Natalie Beisner, who voted for Hillary Clinton and Obama, said the pandemic shutdowns made her rethink her political views. Beisner said that due to the shutdowns, she lost two jobs and her grandmother died alone, while at the same time, protesters prompted by the death of George Floyd could gather en mass. When she raised such concerns, Beisner said she was called racist and selfish.
'These people refused to acknowledge that I might have an honest reason for disagreeing with them. There was no conversation,' she said. 'So I walked away from the Democrat Party because for the first time in my life, I connected my suffering directly to Democrat policies.'
Before the rally, which was organized by the creator of the #WalkAway social media campaign encouraging voters to leave the Democratic Party, Trump supporters gathered in the heart of the LGBTQ+ community in West Hollywood to march into Beverly Hills.
As diners along Santa Monica Boulevard brunched on patios and took in a drag queen performance, several dozen pro-Trump marchers chanted, 'Walk away from hate.'
A slightly larger number of counter-protesters had gathered nearby, yelling, "No KKK! No fascist USA! No Trump!"
A West Hollywood resident who went by the name Anniejump came with a loud speaker and pink bandannas. She called the group 'bigots' who came to the community of West Hollywood 'to attack queers.'
'Anybody who doesn't like fascists wants them out of town,' Anniejump said.
But the LGBTQ+ community is not monolithic in its political views.
Hunter Gibson, a 29-year-old gay man, told The Times that he felt that in places like West Hollywood, 'if you don't think a certain way, you're ostracized.' Conservative groups, he said, were more open to dialogue.
At the rally, several speakers focused on the transgender community. After the event, Brandon Straka, a gay man and the founder of the #WalkAway campaign behind Sunday's event, expressed concern about transitioning by underage people.
Straka was pardoned by Trump in January after being convicted of misdemeanor disorderly conduct for taking part in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
'I think you can be pro-transgender and also recognize that there's a culture that's too permissive, that's turning people into permanent victims, especially people who are not actually transgender,' he said in an interview.
Cherie Currie, the former lead singer of the Runaways, sang 'Cherry Bomb' at the rally.
The 1976 song was a subversive celebration of female sexuality and rejection of the patriarchy by an all-female band. Currie has since become a supporter of the "Gays Against Groomers" movement.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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