Former President Donald Trump spent part of this weekend in Detroit riling up his MAGA base at Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA convention. Trump, who lost Michigan to Joe Biden in 2020, is trying to get the swing state to swing back his way in 2024. Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) was there to help Trump feed the base at the Kirk event, even if the venue is not really a place where swing voters are found.
Gaetz took his turn at the podium to denigrate the Biden administration and conjure a vision of America having been in a good place when Trump was in the White House.
“Very popular guy” pic.twitter.com/EQJJRk73dP
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) June 16, 2024
Gaetz claimed that during the Biden administration “now we have transsexual influencers wandering around the West Wing. Sometimes they even get jobs. Remember that dude in heels, who used to steal everyone’s luggage? That was like an actual thing.” He added, “We’re not going to have dudes in heels in the White House anymore.”
My full speech today at Turning Point today
“America is not a slave auction”
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) June 16, 2024
Gaetz was referring to Sam Brinton, a non-binary employee of the Department of Energy who in July 2022 was arrested for stealing someone’s suitcase at the airport in Las Vegas. Brinton ultimately pleaded no contest (avoiding jailtime and waiving the right to a trial) and was let go from the DOE.
Gaetz added: “We went from Ivanka Trump in the White House to that weird thing in the heels.”