[1][3][6] "DeploraBall" was conceived in early November 2016 by a marketing team as a brand name for various parties and events celebrating the election of Donald Trump.
[8][9] The loosely organized GOTV group MAGA3X became one of the first sponsors of a DeploraBall event,[7] which MAGA3X originally announced would be held on January 19, 2017, (the night before the Trump inauguration) at the Clarendon Ballroom in Arlington, Virginia.
[3][12] White supremacist Richard Spencer, who had recently made news for leading a group Nazi salute during a pro-Trump conference at a restaurant, was also uninvited from the event.
[17] Political consultant Roger Stone arrived at the venue, but left without entering the event after learning the organizers had not provided sufficient tickets for his family members accompanying him.
[20][19][21] A second Washington, D.C.-area inaugural ball dubbed "Gays for Trump DeploraBall Gala" was held at the Bolger Center Hotel in Potomac, Maryland, on the following evening, January 20, 2017.
[27] Attendees included Milwaukee sheriff David Clarke, activist James O'Keefe, businessman Martin Shkreli, and social media personalities Mike Cernovich, Jim Hoft, and Gavin McInnes.
[4][37][38][39] Protesters clashed with police in riot gear,[40] who formed a human shield to protect DeploraBall attendees as they arrived and entered the building.
[40] A young boy at the protest, later identified by TMZ as the 11-year-old son of actor Drew Carey, told a Fox News reporter at the scene that he had started a fire in the street near the venue.