Two of the most controversial members of Congress visited The Villages in May and lavished praise on former President Trump.
Congressman Matt Gaetz, embroiled in a sex trafficking scandal, and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, stripped of any committee assignments, wore their renegade status as a badge of honor before a mostly maskless red-white-and-blue packed house at the Brownwood Hotel & Spa. A long line snaked around the exterior of the building, but the hopefuls had no realistic chance of landing a spot in the 300-person room, which filled up early. Gaetz estimated the crowd outside at 1,000 strong.
Greene, a first-time politician, mother and businesswoman, gleefully bragged about gumming up the works in Congress by calling for recorded voice votes. She considered it revenge on the Republicans in Congress who were more hindrance than help to President Trump when he initially took office.
The event also drew protesters who lined up across the street from the hotel, camped out at the entrance to the Atwood Bungalows.