A couple of notes before we get into this post. First, if you’ve been on Twitter at all, you know there’s a war between Donald Trump supporters and Ron DeSantis supporters. As we’ve noted, groups like The Lincoln Project, which was created by #NeverTrumpers, are expending their energy to tear down DeSantis. They, and the media, desperately want Trump to be the GOP’s 2024 nominee, because they’re certain he’ll lose to Joe Biden again.
Second, you might have noticed our own PolitiBunny announcing a bunch of new Twitchy freelancers, among them @Just_Mindy. Since we try not to write about ourselves on here, Mindy probably won’t post on it, so this editor will, because it’s based.
Newsweek has a piece out today on Jenna Ellis, a former Trump attorney who now supports DeSantis and says she’s being harassed over it.
In a statement to Newsweek on Saturday afternoon, Ellis wrote: “Sexual harassment, threats of violence, and comparisons to sex workers are never okay legally or ethically. This isn’t about being offended by a meme, it’s about not violating the law and basic standards of decency while engaging in political discourse.”
She added that the memes are not only being shared by troll accounts, some of which have been suspended, but by prominent conservative influencers including Alex Bruesewitz and Caitlyn Jenner.
“My question is whether the Trump family wants these vile people associated with them or condones sexual harassment? Women who previously represented Trump and are now pro-DeSantis, like Erin Perrine, should be able to do their jobs and have their political opinions without malicious threats of violence online,” Ellis wrote.
Trump 2024’s message to women like me and Erin Perrine:
You’re either 100% in all the time or you deserve to be harassed.
— Jenna Ellis 🇺🇸 (@JennaEllisEsq) April 14, 2023
Even if you’re 100 percent pro-Trump, maybe lay off the “gangbang” language? Or not. TPUSA’s Evan Kilgore is going out of his way to brush it off.
Jenna Ellis is unhinged and now just playing victim for the well-deserved backlash she's getting on her anti-Trump garbage.
I genuinely used to really respect her, but if she can't take the heat, she should stay out of political commentary.
Thought she was better than this.
— Evan Kilgore 🇺🇸 (@EvanAKilgore) April 15, 2023
Are you ok with the comment about former Trump staffer Erin Perrine? Just curious. It’s the same crew comparing Jenna to a pornstar and photoshopping Christina Pushaw’s knees insinuating oral sex. pic.twitter.com/MCSQmzwwxb
— Rocky (@wavechaser2024) April 15, 2023
I think Evan needs to examine his heart, because he should know better than to associate with this kind of thing. pic.twitter.com/IDHiWCHAAg
— Real Man of Genius (@realmanofgenius) April 15, 2023
I don't need to because I understand it for the euphemism it is and am not lying to my audience to defame others and tell them they're sexually harassing and threatening violence on me, when they're not.
— Evan Kilgore 🇺🇸 (@EvanAKilgore) April 15, 2023
Can someone explain what euphemism there is for “gangbang” I’m missing!? https://t.co/wpREy2iVNi
— Just Mindy 🐊 (@just_mindy) April 15, 2023
I am willing to be wrong. What other definition of GANGBANG IS THERE???
— Just Mindy 🐊 (@just_mindy) April 15, 2023
Please @EvanAKilgore explain this to me like I’m new to speaking English. What does this mean? “She’s not going to fare well with the gangbang that is coming” pic.twitter.com/Dcy1GogfEB
— Just Mindy 🐊 (@just_mindy) April 15, 2023
*pretends not to know figures of speech*
You see, it could easily be understood as a term of "ganging up on somebody."
To argue a threat of reasonably-believed violence against an idividual here would be embarrassing and incredibly weak.
It is tasteless wording, at finest. pic.twitter.com/MwnVpgaWUe
— Evan Kilgore 🇺🇸 (@EvanAKilgore) April 15, 2023
I’m wondering why you would defend what is at BEST tasteless and crass speech that clearly has sexual overtones against a woman who is simply doing her job and entitled to her political viewpoints.
Christian men stand up for women. Not defend the vulgar men.
— Jenna Ellis 🇺🇸 (@JennaEllisEsq) April 15, 2023
I'm not defending the phrase itself, which I've *already* publicly said was tasteless and is wrong and that you, or others, shouldn't receive personal attacks for your views.
— Evan Kilgore 🇺🇸 (@EvanAKilgore) April 15, 2023
On the basis of the law, which you are seemingly alleging it violates the First Amendment of Free Speech and threatening, I'm not seeing a clear-cut threat of reasonably-believed violence against the individual for this phrase.
— Evan Kilgore 🇺🇸 (@EvanAKilgore) April 15, 2023
I missed where the government was threatening to gangbang Erin.
As for twitter removing it for threat of violence, that’s a question for @elonmusk
Are you really arguing you’re upset a troll account got suspended for threatening a gangbang because you’re concerned about 1A?
— Jenna Ellis 🇺🇸 (@JennaEllisEsq) April 15, 2023
Is he really parsing the “gangbang” threat?
This guy sorely lacked a Cuban grandmother or someone to knock some common sense into him at an earlier stage in his life. Sad!
— Giancarlo Sopo (@GiancarloSopo) April 15, 2023
Them: “You’re cute and we’re gonna gangbang you.”
Boys afraid of Trump: “I can’t say anything good about DeSantis people so uhhhhh freedom of speech!”
— Jenna Ellis 🇺🇸 (@JennaEllisEsq) April 15, 2023
Dude, it’s a really bad look for you to be defending this stuff.
You could just disavow it and say you still support Trump for XYZ reason and leave it at that.
It won’t lose your access and if you lose a couple of followers, no sweat.
— Giancarlo Sopo (@GiancarloSopo) April 15, 2023
You don't get to tell women that gangbang is a euphemism.
— Esther Lopez (@EstherL60811108) April 15, 2023
Are the boys who support Trump so afraid that they can’t stand on principle and say yeah, tweeting threats to “gangbang” a woman for her political views is over the line?
And conservatives wonder why we have no actual men left. https://t.co/MmoK7tZcH0
— Jenna Ellis 🇺🇸 (@JennaEllisEsq) April 15, 2023
If it comes down to Biden vs. Trump again, this editor will be voting for Trump, but he’d rather not hold his nose while doing it … even if Trump is now praising Charlie Crist and Gavin Newsom. Conservative men need to be better.
And welcome Mindy!
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Related:
The aftermath of the Trump / Tucker interview was interesting! 🙂 https://t.co/JR8g42uQNQ
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) April 12, 2023
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