Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect Gary Greenblatt's occupation as an artist and Loren Meza's work as a spotlight specialist.
Wearing a pirate hat and wielding a broom, renowned political satirist, activist and performer Vermin Supreme stood on stage at University Club to perform a multi-act show.
Supreme, whose legal name is Vermin Supreme, is a longtime political candidate whose unorthodox clothing, platform and civic action earned him Internet celebrity status in the early 2010s.
On the campaign trail, Supreme came to be known for wearing a boot on his head, advocating free ponies for all Americans and doing so at otherwise austere political events, including primary candidate debates.
The satirist, clad in a sparkly cape and three ties, stopped in Gainesville to attend the Flying Pig Parade on Jan. 3. He stayed to perform at Bobo A Gogo: The Nacho Clown’s Extreme and Strange Variety Show on Monday night.
A crowd of about 40 people, mainly Gainesville residents, gathered for the performance. Some shouted, “that’s my president” when Vermin came on stage while others chanted “free ponies.”
The variety show is University Club’s weekly open mic night hosted by Auntie Bobo the Nacho Lighter Queen. Acts include poetry, original songs, comedy and short-form drag shows.
The show opened with Auntie Bobo’s grand welcome act, which was then followed by a blessing from Rev. Angel Dust, the spiritual leader of the Tabernacle of Hedonism, an eclectic local church.
“If you’re busy smoking marijuana, you cannot shoot your neighbor,” Angel Dust advised.
Once the show was blessed, Vermin Supreme began his surrealist satire act, in which he invited the audience to play pretend with him. In his act, Supreme assumed the role of acting president of the U.S. His main platform: ponies.
“The transition to a full pony-based economy will not be an easy one. There will be some grumblers,” he said. “These malcontents will be dealt with swiftly and harshly.”
In another act as president, Supreme announced his Strategic Interdimensional Horse Command, presumably a branch of his armed forces, would launch a bombing campaign against the fictional nation Narnia.
“If we do not fight them in their dimension there, we will have no choice but to fight them in our dimension here.”
While Supreme does invite the audience into the absurdity of his make-believe presidency, his comedy act is meant to evoke genuine curiosity and free thought about American politics and society.
Supreme has registered as a candidate in six presidential campaigns, starting in 2004, and local races dating back to the late ’80s. In 2012, Supreme managed to win over 800 votes in the New Hampshire Democratic primary, a race often considered critical in presidential primaries. He has run as a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian and Independent candidate.
An especially viral moment in Supreme’s career occurred during the 2011 New Hampshire Democratic primary elections, when he glitterbombed fellow Democratic candidate Randall Terry, a strident anti-abortion activist known for espousing homophobic views.
Supreme said he did so at the command of Jesus Christ, who wished for Terry to become gay through the act of glitterbombing.
His proposal for every American to receive a pony is meant to highlight the way the country allocates its money, he said.
“If you break down the math, the government could afford to pay to give every American a free pony,” he said. “There’s simply a lack of will in Congress.”
Supreme said he wants people to weigh his proposals against actual U.S. spending on areas like the military, to which Congress allocates hundreds of billions to each year.
The average cost of a pony varies by region but ranges from under $3,000 to around $30,000. With 343 million Americans, it would cost around $1.7 trillion dollars to purchase every American a pony worth $5,000.
In 2026, the federal government plans to spend around $10 trillion, with at least $1.42 trillion going to military spending alone.
Supreme said the very act of running for office is meant to raise awareness about how U.S. society functions.
“I hear teachers teach me in the classroom, they expose their kids to Vermin Supreme under the pretext anybody can run for president,” Supreme said.
By exhibiting the legitimacy of the absurd, Supreme said he hopes to undermine authoritarianism and get people thinking about their power as citizens.
“I’ve always maintained that I could be just a regular guy wearing a regular suit, no boot, standing on the side [of the road] ranting and raving, but what fun would that be? Or how much impact would I have?” Supreme said. “In this presentation that I’ve learned to make, people are inspired, inspired to run for office, inspired by my run and change their whole perspective on activism.”
Retired performer Tom Miller, a Gainesville resident since 1984, helped organize Supreme’s appearance at UC after seeing him at the Flying Pig Parade.
Miller said he immediately thought of Auntie Bobo’s show when he saw Supreme at the parade and “surreptitiously just wrote him a quick text message” on Facebook, to which Supreme replied.
“He fits in, because we understand absurdity at the Tabernacle of Hedonism, we understand absurdity at Auntie Bono’s Bobo A Gogo, The Nacho Clowns Extreme’s Strange & Lovely Variety Show,” Miller said. “Absurdity is the way to truth.”
Supreme has served as an inspiration for Miller throughout his own career, he said.
“Vermin Supreme walks the walk of pure, unadulterated satire and absurdism and performance art.”
Frequent attendees of Auntie Bobo’s show said Supreme’s appearance brought out an especially large crowd.
Gary Greenblatt, a 24-year-old Gainesville resident who does live paintings during the variety show, said “[Vermin] absolutely pulled in a lot of people.”
Greenblatt said he had been generally aware of Supreme’s presence since 2016 and felt surprised by his appearance at UC.
“I was like, oh sh*t, actually? He’s coming here?” Greenblatt said. “He’s the perfect guest for this show.” As Greenblatt put it, “a spiritual match.”
Loren Meza, a 23-year-old Gainesville resident who works UC's spotlight during the drag shows, said the event was one of the largest they have seen at UC.
“The closest [crowd size] is Occupy Pancakes,” Meza said, referring to UC’s monthly free pancake and music event.
Lee Malis, a retired journalist who has lived in Gainesville on-and-off since 1976, said Vermin’s appearance brought him out for his first show at UC in several years.
Malis also praised the night’s absurdity.
“It is just a place where whack jobs can be happy,” he said. “It’s a land of whack jobs who can just enjoy themselves.”
Contact Avery Parker at aparker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @AveryParke98398.
Contact Megan Howard at mhoward@alligator.org. Follow her on X @meganmhxward.
Avery Parker is an English and history senior and the Summer 2025 University Editor. When he's not buried in thesis research, he enjoys exploring rivers and listening to The Wrecks.
Megan is the Fall 2025 metro editor of The Alligator. She has worked as a reporter for the university and metro desks, and she previously worked as the opinions editor and senior news director. In the summer she interned at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. In her free time she likes to read as she attempts to beat her Goodreads goal.
