GOP Florida Representative Matt Gaetz stressed that a demographic shift could help former Republican President Donald Trump regain control of the White House.
During an appearance on the right-wing cable news channel Newsmax, he suggested that White women who were angry about abortion could easily be replaced by Latino and Black male voters.
Except, he deliberately chose a less eloquent route, declaring:
"For every Karen we lose, there’s a Julio and a Jamaal ready to sign up for the MAGA movement.”
You can watch a clip here.
The female name Karen negatively entered into parlance as a White suburban woman who is entitled, while the names Julio and Jamaal are stereotypical names for Latino and Black men, respectively.
Gaetz is a devoted Trump ally known for a slew of controversies, including allegations of sexual misconduct, sex trafficking, campaign finance violations, and for being aligned with alt-right activist and racist internet troll, Chuck Johnson.
Social media users couldn't believe his remarks.
They also commented on the audacity of his performative inclusivity when it suited him.
@RonFilipkowski Using this trope: They made sure Jamaal can\xe2\x80\x99t vote and deported Julio. What they\xe2\x80\x99re saying is, they don\xe2\x80\x99t need anyone else\xe2\x80\x99s vote because they rigged the system so that the underrepresented don\xe2\x80\x99t matter \xf0\x9f\xa4\xb7\xf0\x9f\x8f\xbd\xe2\x80\x8d\xe2\x99\x80\xef\xb8\x8f.— (@)
People remained highly doubtful of Gaetz's off-kilter prediction.
Gaetz's comments followed Trump's victory with a 51% win on Monday night's Iowa Caucuses.
“There is a relentlessness and a persistence in the Trump campaign that I think really emerges out of the candidate himself," said Gaetz, adding:
"In Iowa, this victory was so huge and really it was a testament to the resiliency of the Trump voter."
“Because you had the worst conditions possible, historically, challenging weather and ice and these folks came out and voted overwhelmingly for the president.”
Gaetz made the "Julio and Jamaal" comment after referring to the MAGA voters' overwhelming support as a "blue-collar realignment of the Republican Party."
He predicted:
"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.”
Sure, Matt.
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
@arianagrande/Instagram
@arianagrande/Instagram