Prominent Republicans from around the United States gathered in the city Saturday night for a fundraiser headlined by former President Donald Trump.

When Trump walked onto the stage at Cipriani Wall Street, an upscale Manhattan event venue, people stood, clapped and started chanting.

The former president addressed the annual fundraiser for the New York Young Republican Club, a club that claims to be the largest and oldest young Republican club in the country.

Before Trump took the stage, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz addressed the gathering of conservatives, condemning corruption in Washington, D.C.

And then Trump spoke in front of a hometown crowd in the city.

Trump said he is confident he will win the Republican presidential nomination and then go on to win states that traditionally vote for Democrats — like New York — in the general election.

"So this election will decide whether your generation inherits a fascist country or a free country," Trump said.

Trump will make another appearance in the city Monday. He is scheduled to take the witness stand in his own defense in the New York civil fraud trial where Trump is accused of inflating the value of his businesses to receive better deals on insurance policies and bank loans.

Trump, who in all faces 91 felony counts from four separate state and federal probes, has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in the case.

"The press refuses to say. They act like these indictments are legit. They are not legit. And with that, [President Joe Biden] has opened up a Pandora's box that may never let our country be the same. That is a very bad thing that they did to me," Trump said.