Matt Gaetz—a far-right Republican with a history of racist commentary—once again disparaged people of color in a recent Newsmax appearance. In an interview Wednesday with host Carl Higbie, he stated that “for every ‘Karen’ we lose, there is a ‘Julio’ and a ‘Jamal’ ready to sign up for the MAGA movement.”
Gaetz, who has supported “Great Replacement Theory” and called the Anti-Defamation League racist, didn’t stop there. “That bodes well for our ability to be more diverse and to be more durable as we head into not only the rest of the primary contests but also the general election,” he continued.
Ultimately, Gaetz was dragged online with one Twitter user stating: “Because of course all Hispanic men are named Julio and all Black men are named Jamaal in Matt Gaetz little privileged, white world. They don’t even try to hide the bigotry because it’s the MAGOP way! Vote this trash out!”
Saying incendiary things is on brand for Gaetz, who was said to have been investigated for sex trafficking, and accused of faking an adoption and misappropriating taxpayer money. He has also complained about being labeled a white man even though he literally is one. Gaetz is a vocal opponent of critical race theory, HBCU funding and discussing America’s racist history when it comes to transportation.
In the past he has stated that he was “proud of the work we did on Jan. 6 to make legitimate arguments about election integrity...And we’re actually going to go walk the grounds that patriotic Americans walked from the White House to the Capitol who had no intent of breaking the law or doing violence.”
Gaetz’s latest stunt is a way to keep the focus on him having shock value instead of what a vile human being he is. Luckily, the public knows how to recognize both.