Gay Trumper almost got hired by the GOP, but it got called off. What happened?

Scott Presler, a gay conservative activist who led “Gays for Trump” and who promotes the QAnon conspiracy theory as well as denying that former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, will not be employed by the Republican National Committee (RNC), the party confirmed yesterday.

The RNC hasn’t said why he wouldn’t be hired despite the RNC chair telling the media that he was being considered for a position, but he was forced to resign from the RNC years ago after he allegedly shared pictures online of himself having sex in an RNC office.

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Presler earned a claim to fame during the 2016 presidential election when he campaigned for Trump, fervently supporting him on social media. He gained over a million followers in his social media campaigning.

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He expanded his reach by working for Act for America, an organization that the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated as an anti-Muslim hate group.

Presler chaired the group Gays for Trump, which was notable as one of the only LGBTQ+ Republican groups during the 2016 presidential election.

He also attended the January 6, 2021 rally, although there is no evidence he participated in the insurrection that followed.

Presler was initially talked about for potential employment with the RNC when co-chair Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of Donald Trump, said a week ago that she was interested in hiring him. If he had been hired, his role likely would’ve been oriented around generating more voters for the RNC.

“We also have to start thinking about things like legal ballot harvesting… I’m going to have a call very soon with Scott Presler, who is an amazing vote register. He has registered so many people in this country. He’s fantastic, I want him on our legal ballot harvesting division,” she said in an interview with conservative YouTuber Benny Johnson.

According to Politico, Presler faced controversy in the past when, after working with the RNC as a Republican Party of Virginia operative, the party suddenly cut ties with him in August 2016. This was reportedly due to him engaging in sexual activity in an RNC office and subsequently posting the images on Craigslist.

In a statement to NBC News, a spokesperson for the RNC said Presler will remain a “valuable voice to the RNC” but will not become directly employed, as he “remains focused on his nonprofit.” This statement refers to his organization Early Vote Action, which encourages more Republicans to vote.

In a statement last week made in response to Lara Trump’s comments about possibly hiring Presler, Democratic National Committee rapid response director Alex Floyd said in a statement, “Scott Presler is an election-denying conspiracy theorist, which just makes him par for the course in terms of new major RNC staff hires… Once again, Donald Trump’s extreme MAGA makeover of the RNC is showing that democracy is on the line in this election as he and his allies elevate extremists who would rather defend Roy Moore and QAnon than our democracy.”