President of New York Young Republicans Says He Has Seen a Sharp Rise in Orthodox Membership
President of the New York Young Republican Club, Stefano Forte, sits down for an exclusive interview with UOJ-America
Last month, the New York Young Republican Club (NYYRC) elected a new president: Stefano Forte
Forte is a conservative activist and Greek Orthodox Christian living in New York City. Last month, he was elected as President of the New York Young Republicans (NYYRC), the largest and oldest Conservative youth organization in the country.
The NYYRC, who are well known for their close relations to President Trump and his cabinet, made headlines in December 2024 when Fr. Josiah Trenham gave a stirring invocation at their annual Gala.
UOJ-America was able to sit down with Stefano to learn more about his life and political activism, and get his insight on the growth of Orthodox representation in the Conservative movement.
UOJ: Stefano, we appreciate your time. Why don’t we start with a brief overview of who you are, your position in the Young Republicans, and what exactly it is that the Young Republicans do.
Stefano: Yeah. So my name is Stefan O Forte. I was born into the Church. I'm the 77th president of the New York Young Republican Club—which is the largest and oldest Young Republican club in the country. We just celebrated 776 members that joined on Wednesday. And we just hit 1800 (total members) either today or, or we will be hitting it tomorrow. My tenure as president has been short— I’ve been president for about a month. We’re really focusing on the Three Cs: campaigns, culture and community.
Campaigns: we've been doing a ton of great stuff with campaigns. We just got a member of the city council elected in Southern Staten Island. We sent 50 people on a bus down there to knock on 10,000 doors. Just last year we sent 80 people to Bucks County, delivering the county for President Trump— and that county was won by, I believe, less than a thousand votes. Their Regional Field Director told us that they don't believe they would've been able to win the county if it wasn't for our involvement. So we're focusing very heavily on campaigns, voter outreach, getting people registered as Republicans and getting Republicans elected.
Culture: We're the largest media market in the world. We want to be training the next generation of TV hosts, anchors, and people who are going to be contributors on Fox, on News Nation, on some of these great platforms. In order for them to make their case in New York, we can't flee the cities without abandoning our culture. So, we need to stay in the cities. We need to be a viable alternative in this liberal media market.
Community: We're building a community in New York where people can feel like they can say they're Republicans, that they're young, they're professionals, that they're Republicans and they're proud of that— they don't need to be afraid of saying they're Republican. And in recent years, since Trump left office and has now come back into office, saying you're a Democrat in New York City is quickly becoming a dirty word; saying you're a Republican, on the other hand, means you're part of the counterculture. You're part of this cool movement.
So we've been doing a lot of great stuff and that's what I plan on focusing on for my tenure as president.
UOJ: Well, it sounds like you guys are really doing good work. How many Orthodox Christians are in your organization? Obviously, you’re an Orthodox Christian, the Co-Chair of the Young Republican National Federation, Catherine Whiteford, is Orthodox, but would you say there’s an increase in Orthodox involvement and if so, what is driving that growth?
Stefano: There are a ton of Orthodox Christians in the club. For example, our Corresponding Secretary on the Executive Committee of the club, Alexis Winters— Zoe Winters now, as she goes by, her baptismal name. My fiancé, Theodora is also on the board as our design chair. There’s a growing number and in terms of membership it’s growing rapidly, especially in Queens. And so, there’s a growing number of Orthodox Christians getting involved. As you said our National Co–Chair Catherine, and we wish her plenty of luck in her re-election, she’s been great. So, we’ve got a ton of Orthodox Christians not only getting involved but in positions of leadership.
UOJ: And why is that?
Stefano: Why is that? It’s because as Orthodox we are called to be not of this world, but likewise to live in it. When we see the world ablaze around us, we have to do our part, both through prayer— which is deeply, deeply important— but also with actions. We have to do our part to make our country better. You know, someone came to St. Paisios asking him ‘who should I vote for?” St. Paisios told him there’s two things that you do in order to see who you're gonna vote for in a potential race. You look at who loves the country more and who loves God more. Those two things should always be what guides you. And I think it's obvious that many of the Republicans that are running, they are fully behind both God and country. So that's why I think there's a growing number of Orthodox Christians joining the Young Republicans and why many Young Republicans are embracing Orthodoxy, because Orthodoxy can change the world.
UOJ: There’s a section of the Orthodox population who say that we should flee from politics and have nothing to do with it. That all politicians are corrupt, it's all demonic. What would you say to, especially to young Orthodox Christians, who are really kind of struggling with this question of voting, engaging with the political process and whether or not they can make a difference in the country?
Stefano: Yeah, it's a great question. And look, as there is a group of people—of very, very good people—who leave the world and devote their life to prayer: our monastics. Our monastics are phenomenal and perform an essential service to the Church and world. And for them, that's their calling by God, to remove themselves from society. However, for us lay people, it's very difficult for us to remove ourselves. The only time we get to remove ourselves is during divine liturgy, or when we go to church for a service. We sit there and we're able to just feel the Holy Spirit and remove ourselves from everything.
But even then, you’ll notice, we’re praying for the world. Again, we're not of the world, but we have to live in it. And by arbitrarily or artificially removing ourselves from that place where we are called to be, we're going against what many of the great monastics and saints of our Church have said, which is that you should care about the direction of your country, you should vote. Um, like St. Paisios said, you know, he didn't tell them not to go and vote. He said, pick the person that is best for your country and best and loves God the most. Saint Paisios being the patron saint of my family, I take those words to heart. So, if you are an Orthodox Christian who's removing yourself from that process, you're going against the words of great saints and monastics like the Great Saint Paisios.
So we need to fully commit ourselves to making the world a better place. And look, if we were supposed to remove ourselves from politics, there would be no St. Constantine the Great, there'd be no St. Justinian the Great or St. Stephan, these kings who were so involved in the day-to-day affairs of their country and did so to the glory of God.
UOJ: I’ve often heard that quote from St. Paisios. I’ve also heard some folks push back, saying that the situation in America is different because Greece was a democracy, but Elder Ephraim of Arizona said similar things. I believe during the Romney/Obama election, he told some pilgrims "look, they both have horns, pick the one with the smaller horns."
Stefano: Of course, and sometimes I think that’s true, you know? I’d say that before Trump’s first election, we were picking the candidates with the shortest horns. But I think now with Trump, who’s really revolutionized American politics as a whole, we’ve finally got a candidate perhaps with no horns. Now, obviously President Trump has his own flaws and personal problems—he sins like the rest of us. But, with that being said, he is truly somebody who loves their country and loves God; it's just very obvious. You don't take a bullet like he did without having some convictions. And God doesn't spare your life like that—believe me. God’s fingerprints were all over that bullet when it barely grazed his ear.
But all that being said, to reiterate the words of St. Ephraim of Arizona—who is much loved in Cyprus, I have friends there who tell me about it—none of the monastics say to get away from politics. There’s simply no theological framework or anything else which says that. I’d argue that we have to engage in politics, because spiritual warfare manifests in the actions of men. If we don’t act (righteously) we will be ruled over by the unrighteous and that’s not what we want. It’s our duty as the laity and why we have so many great Orthodox kings and monarchs in the history of our Church.
UOJ: You all recently had Fr. Josiah Trenham of the Antiochian Archdiocese at your annual gala—he gave a wonderful invocation. Did that help to peak folks' interest about Orthodoxy in your club?
Stefano: Oh of course. Several attendees went up after his invocation to ask him about Orthodoxy and what he believes. Even beforehand, obviously when a priest comes and is dressed in the way they’re dressed, it invites attention. Father Josiah's invocation, I would say, was probably the best invocation we've ever had at a gala. And it was the first time I'd ever seen an invocation receive a standing ovation. I think it peaked a lot of people’s interest. And, God willing the future Saint, Seraphim Rose of Platina said, Orthodoxy is the religion of the future. So, Fr. Josiah is always welcome at our galas, he’s been a great friend to the organization, and we look forward to having him again.
UOJ: We’ve spoken a lot about your political involvement, but what about your own background. It sounds like you’re cradle, is that right?
Stefano: Yes, I am cradle, though my dad was a convert. My mother and father are really, in my mind, the model of what good Orthodox Christians should be. They taught me everything that I know about faith and love, and a deep love and devotion to God.
Which, this is not something I always had. Obviously as a child, I had the faith of a child, this beautiful, clean and pure faith. But as I got older, I went to college. And you know, we all kind of go through these phases where you want to be edgy and think you’re cool; you go to college and your professors are Marxists who are essentially teaching Atheism 101. So, your mind gets corrupted for a little bit, I went through an agnostic phase. But coming out of college during COVID and all that stuff, I realized, “you know, my faith is so much more beautiful than anyone could imagine.” I started going back to Church, understanding my faith on a much deeper level. And I have to give it to my fiance as well because she came to a couple liturgies with me and she fell in love with it as well. This was especially true after her first Pascha, hearing those hymns for the first time she knew she wanted to be Orthodox. So, we’ve walked this road together and now we’re involved in our church together. We try to be as involved as much as possible. So, it’s a beautiful faith, a rekindled faith I’d say. But the pillars were always there thanks to my mother and father who built those pillars for me in my childhood.
UOJ: Was there a correlation between your political involvement and the rekindling of your faith?
Stefano: Yeah, I would say there was a correlation coming out of college. As soon as I got outta college I knew I wanted to work on Republican campaigns. So, I’d say they went hand in hand. A lot of people will talk about their beliefs in terms of a philosopher; someone they ascribe their politics to. But I tell everyone that my politics are downstream of my faith, I think all things have to stem from that. If you have a deep love for Christ, then your politics should flow downstream from that. But the Republican party really spoke to me coming out of college because it’s where I felt the most respected. The Left has become Godless, totally and completely Godless. With the LGBTQ propaganda and the things they’re doing in schools, just no respect for human dignity.
UOJ: Where can folks learn more about your organization, where can they go if they want to get involved?
Stefano: Yeah, you can go to www.nyyrc.com. If you live in the tri-state area, come and join us. We have a yearly gala that's just getting bigger and bigger. Two years ago, we hosted President Trump, we had Steve Bannon last year. We’re going to have a ton of great guests at the next one—more on that soon. We’ve got a tremendous membership base, you should come join and see what we’re all about; we’ve got something for everyone. You can follow us on social media @nyyrc
UOJ: Stefano, thanks so much for joining us. Christos Anesti
Stefano: Alethos Anesti! I appreciate the opportunity; I’ve really enjoyed it.
To learn more about the New York Young Republican Club, click here. You can also follow NYYRC and Stefano Forte on X.
To learn more about the Young Republican National Federation and how to get involved in a chapter near you, click here.
