Alex Bruesewitz, the 27-year-old strategist tasked with making President-elect Donald Trump cool in the eyes of younger voters during his 2024 presidential campaign, collapsed on stage while speaking at the New York Young Republicans Club Gala, according to several videos of the event posted online.
Bruesewitz, the CEO of consultancy firm X Strategies, was listed as an honored guest at the marquee conservative event on Sunday, which also featured speeches by the likes of Steve Bannon and Nigel Farage.
During his remarks, Bruesewitz began slurring his words before falling silent for about five seconds. The young conservative then fell to his side as startled guests began yelling.
It was not immediately clear what caused the fall, and the Trump transition team and X Strategies, the consultancy firm Bruesewitz runs, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Daily Beast.
Other speakers at the event said Bruesewitz was getting medical attention and was responsive backstage.
Alt-right political personality Jack Posobiec wrote on X that he had spoken to Bruesewitz after the “brief fainting spell onstage” and that, “All levels are normal.” Posobiec added: “Only thing he asked me was, ‘Did it look cool?’”
President-elect Donald Trump, who later called into the gala, immediately addressed his young staffer’s fall. “I know that Alex is going to be fine, because he’s a tough son of a gun. There’s no doubt about that. So I want to say hello to Alex, because he’s a very special guy.”