Matt Gaetz Fancies Himself a Proud Boy

The congressman said he’s “standing back and standing by,” referring to Trump’s infamous direction to the far-right group.

Another day of Donald Trump’s hush-money trial, another day of Republicans acting weird in lower Manhattan. On Thursday, the antics were led by Florida representative and all-around disliked guy Matt Gaetz, who was there to show support for the former president by standing behind him and posting the photo on X. According to his caption, Gaetz fancies himself a Proud Boy:

Standing back and standing by, Mr. President. pic.twitter.com/gGPeTLtWmv

— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) May 16, 2024

Gaetz was referencing Donald Trump’s comments from the first presidential debate in 2020, when he directed the Proud Boys — a far-right paramilitary group with a heavy presence at the Capitol riot — to “stand back and stand by” ahead of the election. Despite some Republican efforts to distance themselves from the group, Gaetz did what he was best at — making people angry for the sake of it.

Gaetz, who is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over allegations he had sex with a minor, was not the only scandal-prone Republican at the scene on Thursday. Colorado representative Lauren Boebert also traveled up to New York to speak outside the courthouse, where she said that Trump’s former fixer Michael Cohen has lied “in front of all branches of Congress.” As she began to speak, all of her Republican colleagues walked away, leaving her alone to face crowd chants of “Beetlejuice” — referring to the musical she was kicked out of last year for vaping and fondling her date.