An evening with 'deplorables': inside the alt-right party in Manhattan
On Saturday night hundreds of self-described “deplorables”, arch-conservative internet personalities, trolls-turned-citizen journalists, and conspiracy theory enthusiasts put on their best suits and cocktail dresses to drink, dance and toast the Trump presidency at an exclusive rightwing social gala called A Night For Freedom.
It’s unclear if there was an element of trolling in the decision to hold a pro-Trump bonanza in Manhattan, the same day several hundred thousand people participated in a city-wide “women’s march”, but if there was, then the party’s masterminds were almost foiled at their own game.
Despite elaborate security precautions to prevent infiltration by journalists, protesters and other troublemakers, the event came close to collapsing at the last moment when, in what the event organizers described as a “set-up”, the scheduled venue abruptly canceled the day before.
Organizers scrambled behind the scenes to secure a new venue to accommodate their 750 guests
