I Think I Was the “Wokest” Person at Trump’s Mar A Lago Estate: I Have No Political Home
Yes, I’ve been invited to events at Trump’s home, Mar A Lago, several times. Before anyone crucifies me and jumps to conclusions about whether I as a human being deserve respect for my opinions or associations, or if solely for agreeing with former President Trump on some issues I’m an evil monster who should be condemned, remember that I am an outlier on either side of the political spectrum.
Like I said, I was probably the “wokest” person at Mar A Lago last week. At a Pride event, I went to a few months ago, I was probably the most “radical right-winger.” I’m a woman without a political home. I don’t fit in anywhere. That used to be a point of contention for me, but now. . . after my latest trip to Trump’s estate, I can be proud that I put principle first, and whether or not people agree, they can respect that.
My best friend and I rolled up to the security guards and valet after spending an exhausting day “glamming up” with hair, makeup, jewelry, and gowns. A valet attendant opens my door and a rogue crumpled McDonald’s bag comes tumbling out onto the ground. The shock on the valet attendant’s face was priceless. Certainly, people frequently going to Mar A Lago don’t go to fast food restaurants. I couldn’t trouble myself with giving an explanation, though. I grabbed the bag, tossed it back in the car, and rushed my friend to my favorite restroom in the estate to wipe off the deodorant stains we developed on our non-designer dresses we bought that week at Dillard's.
I officially sealed my reputation as riff-raff.
It is a reputation I wear extremely proudly.
Keep in mind, this is my anonymous nom-de-plum page. I have a shroud of mystique and dignity here. But, the real me is notoriously awkward. I relish and flaunt it. When we worked our way to the main ballroom, I gave a tour to my bestie of all the places I stumbled and the one particular place I slipped and fell completely on my butt in front of Congressmen and Senators because I’m a klutz and wear heels that aren’t kind to the balance-impaired.
But here’s where my “Wokeness” went on full display.
I greeted some old friends that I haven’t seen in a while, and one pulls me aside and asks if my best friend and date for the evening was my girlfriend.
I was in good spirits and took everything lightly, but now, with some reflection, I have the opportunity to appreciate what wonderful progress has been made since the last time I was there. I have never brought a boyfriend or male guest with me to Mar A Lago. I always bring one of my female friends. Several times I was accused of being a political plant for being Pro-LGBT+. There were many attempted political attacks against me that accused me of being gay. I would challenge those attackers by stoking the rumor. So what if I was gay? There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
In fact, I wanted people to go ahead and believe the rumors.
I wanted people to acknowledge that I might be gay and that my ideology and advocacy were still respectable and sound regardless. I was intent on showing people that my sexual orientation did not reduce the legitimacy of my ideas.
This time in Mar A Lago, the individual that pulled me aside and asked if I was dating a girl wasn’t judgmental or unkind, just sincerely asking so they knew how to address my friend. When I told her, that she was just my best friend and that her husband was patiently waiting for her at home, the person’s attitude towards me didn’t change.
The stereotype of hardcore Trump supporters being bigots against LGBT+ people was completely deflated.
I always knew that many if not most were never anti-LGBT+, but that didn’t erase the experiences I had where cruel people tried to “destroy” me by claiming I was gay, or outspokenly stating that being gay was unnatural. It is a fact, that some right-wingers and Trump supporters believed LGBT+ people were an “abomination” and I rejected that stance.
Being my socially liberal-self made me feel free.
For so long, my socially liberal ideologies and policies were a weapon. I knew right-wingers would use them against me, so I intentionally preached about them to make it clear who I was and where I stood.
It took a couple of years, but this weekend in Mar A Lago I was able to confidently share my differing opinions to a tolerant audience. They respectfully listened and even found common ground with me on some issues. I, in return, listened to them on things they disagreed with me on.
I preached about my stance on law enforcement corruption which in many ways opposes the “Back the Blue” narrative and found that everyone was willing to hear my thoughts. They responded with their opinion that more law enforcement funding would result in better training and less corruption. It was a good conversation and it showed how willing people are to talk to one another with different opinions in an attempt to improve social policies for our community. The rest of the night, I toed the line, seeing just how far I was willing to reveal how “woke” I was.
I decided not to bring up that I’ve been driving a Hybrid car for years because I believe that we should be worried about our environment. . . I didn’t mention that I believe we should lower the age for people of retirement age to gain Medicare coverage, or that I believe in free healthcare for people at least up to the age of 18. . . Yet!
There was definitely a clear sentiment that people there were willing to hear me out on my ideas. I could feel that people are inherently good-natured and want to agree with one another. Debate and good trouble are paramount to a whole society.
Later that night, Trump showed up.
YMCA blasted on the speakers. (I’m not joking, this happens all the time actually). People swarmed him to get a photo or video. He gave us all a wave thanking people for being there. My friend hilariously joked that he was a bit shorter than she thought he would be.
I told her I’d met Trump and talked to him a few times. He was nothing but nice. He was nothing but respectful to my Cuban immigrant grandmother when she met him decades before I was born or politically active. I honestly think Trump is a cool dude. For the first time this week though, I’ve felt that his most radical or die-hard supporters are becoming kind of cool too. They are willing to hear from people that disagree with him. Even a “famous” Republican Instagram influencer gave me a hug and stopped pretending he didn’t know who I was every time we were in the same room.
In the past, I’ve been treated kindly by some Democrats too. Despite my stances on reducing taxes and limiting government. Despite that, even if I socially supported an ideology, I was against legislative moves to solidify those ideologies, there are many Democrats that supported me so much so I attended Democrat political leader events that led some right-wingers to hate me. But I look forward to that beautiful night of polite political discourse and discussing hosted by Democrats just like the one I had at Mar A Lago.
I used to be politically without a home.
Right-wingers hated me for supporting environmental, LGBT+, or feminist issues.
Left-wingers hated me for opposing raising the debt ceiling, sending money to Ukraine when our government can’t seem to find the funds to support domestic issues, or ignoring the abject failures and corruption of the Biden administration.
Independents hated me for believing that a federal government and taxes are important.
But people are tired of hating each other.
It used to be that unless you picked a side, you were rejected by everyone.
Now, this country seems to be more polarized than ever, but I think the opposition and angst are manufactured by the powers that be. My experience at Mar A Lago this last week proved that even the most radical people on either side of the political spectrum are changing and willing to find a middle ground.
Not picking a side and finding something to agree with for all parties hopefully opened the door to having a political home everywhere.
It also showed that mouthing off is important. Even here on my tiny platform on Medium, I’m spouting off my perspective knowing it might change the mind of at least one person. We as humans should always strive to leave the world a little better than how we found it. My hope is that I can prove that even the angriest political advocates can find something to agree on.
