Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Madison Cawthorn Ripped For Posting Cigar Pic On Instagram As North Carolina Ravaged By Floods

Madison Cawthorn Ripped For Posting Cigar Pic On Instagram As North Carolina Ravaged By Floods
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Far-right North Carolina Republican Representative Madison Cawthorn is no stranger to controversy—at times, it even seems like he actively courts it.

But his newest dust-up makes it seem like he's trying to steal infamous Republican Senator Ted Cruz's crown as the most self-absorbed and tone-deaf Congressperson in America


As catastrophic floods ravaged his North Carolina district last week, Cawthorn went for a decidedly Cruz-ian bit of branding in his social media posts, sharing photos, seen below, of him kicking back with a cigar and conspiracy theorist Charlie Kirk's podcast as his constituents got swept away to their deaths.

Thank you for your service, Congressman!

Floods destroyed wide swathes of Cawthorn's district last week when the Pigeon River overflowed its banks following intense storms from Tropical Depression Fred. In Haywood County, homes were swept off their foundations by the flood waters, resulting in five deaths. Four others are still missing.

Through it all, Cawthorn seemed decidedly unbothered, judging from his social media posts--including the aforementioned cigar-and-conspiracy post.

@muh_thoughts/Twitter


But as if that weren't bad enough, as his constituents drowned Cawthorn also shared a shot of a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition he issued to a constituent--for his bodybuilding prowess, of all things.


@muh_thoughts/Twitter


If that strikes you as astonishingly tone-deaf, you're not alone. Back in deep, dark red Haywood County--where former Republican President Donald Trump won by nearly 27 points and Cawthorn won by more than 12--local paper The Mountaineer published a scathing op-ed that declared Cawthorn in "dereliction of duty."

"In a 24-hour span from Tuesday into Wednesday, Western North Carolina experienced flood destruction on a level not witnessed for 17 years..."
"Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC-11) released no statement, no list of resources or shelters for constituents, and not a single tweet in support of the thousands in WNC residents suffering from the flood..."

The op-ed then went on to directly reference Cawthorn's Instagram posts.

"Lest we think he was simply off the grid... while the raging storm took hold of his district... Cawthorn blissfully posted pictures on Instagram (screenshot linked) of smoking cigars and listening to conservative podcasts."

To be fair, Cawthorn did eventually get around to addressing the crisis in his district--after the floodwaters had already begun to recede. As The Mountaineer put it:

"Cawthorn's first public comments on the matter were around 24 hours after the Pigeon River reached initial flood levels, followed by retweets of hours-old resources from other public organizations working on the crisis."
"His tweets in support of the community and of photo ops with damage came more than 12 hours after floodwaters fell back below the flood line."
"Too little, too late."

Cawthorn's District Director, Hal Weatherman, was slightly less eloquent in his response, calling The Mountaineer's criticism a "complete partisan bullsh*t lie" in a Facebook post in which he vociferously refuted its claims without providing a single bit of evidence.

On Twitter, people were reviled by Cawthorn's response to the crisis.











For all the drama, Cawthorn appears not to have learned his lesson--as the clean-up in his district continues, Cawthorn was seen doing a photo-op at a firing range on the other side of the country from North Carolina, in California.

If his goal is to eclipse Cruz's mid-crisis Cancun border-run, he's doing a terrific job.

More from People/donald-trump

Jasmine Crockett Calls Out Trump's Hypocrisy By Pointing Out How Melania Got Her Visa
Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for SiriusXM; Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Jasmine Crockett Calls Out Trump's Hypocrisy By Pointing Out How Melania Got Her Visa

Texas Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett pointed out President Donald Trump's hypocrisy on immigration considering how First Lady Melania Trump's pathway to citizenship was possible because she received an "Einstein visa," which is usually reserved for an individual with "some sort of significant achievement."

Speaking during a House Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Restoring Integrity and Security to the Visa Process,” Crockett noted that “the idea that Trump and my Republican colleagues want to restore integrity and security in the visa process is actually a joke," and harshly criticized the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and visa restrictions.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Jennifer Griffin and Pete Hegseth
The Hill

Fox Host Comes To Reporter's Defense After Pete Hegseth Berates Her At Pentagon Briefing

Fox News' chief political analyst Brit Hume came to the defense of Fox national security reporter Jennifer Griffin after their former colleague, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, criticized Griffin as the reporter "who misrepresents the most intentionally what the president says” in a Pentagon news conference.

Hegseth, a former Fox News anchor, had criticized media outlets—including his former network—for what he described as unpatriotic reporting. Hegseth took particular aim at early intelligence assessments suggesting that President Donald Trump's bombing of Iran may not have significantly crippled Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Keep ReadingShow less

Teachers Share The Questions Students Asked In Class That Broke Their Hearts

Being a teacher is a calling.

It is not for the meek or weak of heart.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Emily Compagno
Fox News

Fox Host Slams Dem For Dropping An F-Bomb After Praising Trump For The Same Thing Just Minutes Earlier

Fox News host Emily Compagno was criticized after she praised Donald Trump's use of the "f-bomb" earlier this week before condemning Texas Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett's use of the same word—on the same episode of her show, no less.

Trump made headlines this week after admonishing Israel and Iran for violating a ceasefire agreement he'd announced on Truth Social. Although he claimed the ceasefire had been "agreed upon," Iran fired at least six missile barrages at Israel after it was supposed to take effect.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ken Jennings; Emily Croke
@Jeopardy/Instagram

Champ's Wild Final Jeopardy Connection

In a dramatic conclusion on last Monday’s Jeopardy!, a contestant revealed a surprising relationship to the final clue's answer. Hailing from Denver, Emily Croke made it to the final write-in portion of the game show with $12,200 in earnings.

In the category of “Collections,” host Ken Jennings read the clue:

Keep ReadingShow less