On Sunday, gay Trump supporter Rob Smith had a rude awakening when he discovered that the MAGA party is full of racists and homophobes. Who could have guessed?
“Last night in Phoenix, I was confronted and surrounded by some White Supremacists that don’t like gays or blacks in the Republican Party,” Smith wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on December 18. “They shouted ‘n*****’ and ‘f*****’ at me to make their point. However, I served in Iraq. I never back down. Ever.”
This is a perfect example of why you shouldn’t align yourself with a political party that believes you are subhuman.
The incident happened while Smith was attending America Fest, hosted by Turning Point USA, a far-right organization that pushes conservative beliefs in schools for which he is a spokesperson. He is a veteran who has also written a memoir and hosts the podcast Can’t Cancel Rob Smith, which dissects pop culture and politics with “witty commentary that stops Cancel Culture dead in its tracks.” Eye roll.
[UPDATE] On Tuesday, after the video footage went viral, Smith went on CNN to defend his claim that the crowd hurled racial slurs despite them not being audible on the video. In an interview with CNN's Abby Phillip, Smith said he was the victim of a "hate crime" and that the men who surrounded him "did say the N-word, absolutely," Newsweek reported.
"I am looking in the eyes of people that were actual neo-Nazis and actual white supremacists," he said. "There were about 20 to 25 of these people and that is what you do not see on camera. So, I had a choice to de-escalate the situation with humor, which is what I did."
Then, in a bizarre but sadly predictable turn of events, he doubled down on his commitment to Trump and the Republican party. "Do I think that this stuff is coming from the millions of people that voted for Trump? I do not, I do not," he said. "Do I think that it's something that the Trump campaign endorses or the Republican Party endorses? I do not, because I know these people and I have been around these people."
Post by @keithboykin
View on Threads
Along with the original post, Smith shared a video taken of the incident. In it, you can see Smith walking into what looks like a bar or restaurant, holding his phone out and filming the men following him while he says, “Look at that, I’ve got some fans!” as he laughs.
Things begin to take a turn when the crowd of men start chanting "gay sex." At first, Smith pumps his fist in the air along with them but then tries to joke that far-right political commentator Nick Fuentes "loves gay sex." The night quickly escalates as men can be heard shouting "f*****" at him, Queerty reported.
It’s truly astounding that anyone could be caught off guard by MAGA zealots not being downs with the gays. Have you been living under a rock?!
The video, however, doesn’t show the crowd using any racial slurs despite what Smith wrote in his social media post. But another X user, @JRMajewski, did back up his account of events, writing, “I was there… when I heard the commotion, I stood up for Rob and made sure he got out of there safely. This is the unfortunate reality of a fractured party without leadership.”
We hate to break it to you, but conservatives have been shouting racial and homophobic slurs at people for decades. You can't expect niceties from Trump supporters who welcome white supremacists with open arms.
The comment section under the post is an absolute cesspool, full of rampant homophobia and racism. Again, this is why “Log Cabin Republicans” and “gay Trump supporters” are oxymorons.
There were also people who were clearly finding it hard to have sympathy for someone who chose to align themselves with a hate-fueled political party.
“You chose to be a Republican despite knowing what they stand for. And now you want sympathy?” one person commented.
“Interesting. What group do those types identify with politically?” another X user wrote.
“These are the people who keep pushing anti-gay crap. Why associate with this element at all???” someone else commented.
Let’s hope Smith comes to his senses one of these days and stops using his vote to elect people who hate us.
