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New York Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
How Epstein Mania Finally Let Democrats Talk (and Meme) Like the Right
On July 14, a bizarre new post appeared on the Instagram account of the Democratic congressman Hank Johnson, of Georgia. In the video, Johnson strums off-rhythm chords on an expensive-looking acoustic guitar and sings a not-especially-in-tune version of the Jason Isbell song 'Dreamsicle' — with most of the lyrics changed. 'Epstein died by suicide/Believe that and you must be blind,' he croons. 'You've been telling us you'd release the files/But where are they?' There were a lot of strange things happening here, in both the message (a sitting congressman using an official communications channel to casually endorse the theory that Jeffrey Epstein was murdered) and the delivery (from its strained effort to the befuddling retention of a few lyrics from the original song: 'Dreamsicle on a summer night/In a folding lawn chair'). Layered together, these things were disorienting but transfixing, like something from the mind of David Lynch. I got a similarly dizzy feeling from 'Trump Not Like Us,' a video posted a few days later by the Lincoln Project, the anti-Trump Republican group. This, too, was a musical cover with Epstein-themed lyrics — this time, an A.I. revision of Kendrick Lamar's 'Not Like Us.' ('You know Epstein was the plan's designer/Bet you Trump's in the files in bed with a minor.') The video renders real-world figures as Jim Henson-style puppets: There's Epstein, Trump, the F.B.I. deputy director Dan Bongino, Attorney General Pam Bondi and others. In one scene, an A.I.-generated Muppet Trump reclines on Epstein's private jet, receiving a foot massage and being fed McDonald's French fries by scantily clad young Muppet women — an image I won't forget anytime soon unless I'm very, very lucky. The style of both videos — their goofy, very-online mix of accusations and insinuations, their readiness to just say stuff — reminded me of nothing so much as Donald Trump himself. This is exactly the kind of political communication that he and his supporters have spent the past decade bringing to the forefront of American politics. Across that decade, the usual strategy for Trump's critics, Republicans and Democrats alike, has been to adopt a contrasting seriousness: They have tried to present as the high-minded adults in the room, the ones who aren't constantly slinging insults, posting nasty cartoon memes and stoking fringe theories. Videos like Johnson's 'Dreamsicle' cover and 'Trump Not Like Us' take the opposite approach. They gleefully embrace a type of messaging that has animated many Trump voters, because that is exactly the audience they hope to reach. Even for the Lincoln Project, which has launched aggressive, mudslinging attacks before, portraying Epstein's 'Lolita Express' with Muppets feels like the crossing of some Rubicon. For Democrats, all this must be a tempting change of pace. A similar giddiness is palpable in other posts, too. On X, Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, posted a photo of Trump and Epstein together, using a popular meme format that incorporates lyrics from the Nickelback song 'Photograph.' House Majority PAC, a major Democratic political-action group, published a 'G.O.P. Epstein Simps Target List,' accusing the identified Republicans of 'simping' for Epstein by voting against the release of more information. And the Democratic Party introduced @TrumpEpsteinBot, an X account that every day answers the question 'Has Trump released the Epstein files?' by posting, simply, 'No.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Hill
04-08-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Hunger crisis in Gaza deepens criticisms of Israel on Capitol Hill
The winds are shifting in congressional attitudes towards Israel. Traditional bipartisan support is eroding on Capitol Hill as Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza has dragged on and the Palestinian casualties have soared. The pushback is surfacing in different forms and varying degrees of formality. There have been votes to block U.S. weapons sales and proposals to recognize a Palestinian state. Many lawmakers have issued statements of public condemnation. Others have gone a long step further with accusations of genocide. And unlike debates of the past, some of the harshest rebukes are coming from conservative Republicans who have traditionally been stalwart defenders of Israel's military exploits. It remains unclear if the blowback signals a hardened (and therefore durable) philosophical shift in thinking towards U.S.-Israel policy, or if it's merely a temporary protest of a specific episode that will dissipate when the fighting in Gaza subsides. But this much is clear: Something is changing on Capitol Hill, and it's influencing lawmakers in both parties. Some said Congress is simply reflecting shifting sentiments back in their districts. 'There's been an attitudinal change on Capitol Hill because the Israeli government's approval ratings by the people of the United States of America have been sinking. And they continue to sink, not just among Democratic voters but among Republican voters, as well,' Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) said Friday by phone. 'The problem for the Israeli government is that the American people know genocide when they see it.' Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), one of Israel's most vocal congressional defenders, said there's always been a natural 'ebb and flow' in U.S.-Israel relations — a vacillation occurring when 'the politics of the United States intersects with the reality of what's going on in Israel,' he said. But the Israeli government, he added, is helping drive the current ebb through its actions in Gaza. 'Two things can be true: Hamas has the power to end this war — this war is an absolute crisis for the Palestinian people — and Israel … has a responsibility to do everything it can to ensure that the people in Gaza are able to get the sustaining aid that they need,' he said Friday in a phone interview. Though the concerns are bipartisan, they also seem to be rooted in different places. For Democrats, the relationship with Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's conservative prime minister, has been strained for many years. Many condemned his visit to the Capitol in 2015, when he used a rare address to a joint session of Congress to blast former President Obama's effort to forge a nuclear deal with Iran. And the tensions have only grown since Netanyahu formed the most far-right coalition government in Israeli history, which is opposed to the two-state blueprint Democrats deem the only workable way to achieve a lasting peace in the region. 'The worst thing for Israel, and the U.S.-Israel relationship, is for that relationship to become a partisan issue. And we're finding it becoming a partisan issue,' Schneider said. 'In no small part, a lot of the blame rests on the shoulders of Prime Minister Netanyahu and the actions he's taken across many years.' The Democratic critics are all quick to emphasize their support for the state of Israel and its right to self-defense, particularly in the wake of Hamas's attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, which led to the death of roughly 1,200 people and the kidnapping of 250. But given their fraught history with Netanyahu, there's been little surprise Democrats would pounce on his retaliatory response in Gaza, where more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed and recent images of starving children have horrified the world. 'Should another government be voted into power that is interested in peace, I think the American people will support that government and the state of Israel,' Johnson said, emphasizing that the beef is with the current Israeli government, not Israel itself. More stunning have been the criticisms from the Republican side of the aisle, where support for Israel has been routine and GOP leaders have long sought to highlight Democratic divisions by staging tough votes on the issue. That GOP unity has cracked in recent weeks. And the trend might be more lasting because some of the Republican critics are invoking the 'America First' mantra that helped propel Trump to the presidency, where his unique brand of populist isolationism has shaken the foundations of the GOP's traditional support for a muscular foreign policy in defense of global democracy. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has been a leading opponent of U.S. intervention abroad, even in support of allies. As the news of a hunger crisis has filtered out of Gaza, he's stepped up those criticisms with more pointed denouncements of Israel's conduct of the war. 'Israel's war in Gaza is so lopsided that there's no rational argument American taxpayers should be paying for it,' Massie posted recently on X. 'With tens of thousands of civilian casualties, there's a moral dilemma too. I vote to stop funding their war and lobbyists for Israel pay for campaign ads against me.' If that was the extent of the GOP opposition, few would blink an eye. But last month, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a staunch conservative and close ally of President Trump, made waves when she forced a vote on legislation to block roughly $500 million in U.S. military aid to Israel. (Massie also supported it). And she made waves again last week when she accused Israel of orchestrating a 'genocide' against Palestinians. In doing so, she became the first Republican in Congress to apply the term to the Gaza War. 'There are children starving. And Christians have been killed and injured, as well as many innocent people. If you are an American Christian, this should be absolutely unacceptable to you. Just as we said that Hamas killing and kidnapping innocent people on Oct 7th is absolutely unacceptable,' Greene posted Thursday on X. 'Are innocent Israeli lives more valuable than innocent Palestinian and Christian lives? And why should America continue funding this?' Trump has given his GOP allies plenty of space to broadcast their condemnations. While the president has urged Israeli leaders to 'finish the job' of eliminating Hamas, he also pointedly rejected Netanyahu's claims that there is no hunger crisis in Gaza. 'Based on television, I would say not particularly because those children look very hungry,' Trump said last week in Scotland, where he was meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer. 'There is real starvation in Gaza — you can't fake that.' The humanitarian crisis has sparked a wave of congressional activity pushing back against Israel's actions. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) last week forced a vote on a resolution to block weapons sales to Israel, similar to Greene's proposal. It failed on the Senate floor, but not before it won the support of a majority of Democratic senators — a record number. In the House, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) is circulating a letter urging the U.S. government to recognize a Palestinian state for the first time — an effort that's already won the endorsements of roughly a dozen liberal Democrats. This month, a number of House lawmakers will be visiting Israel on separate congressional trips, one led by GOP leaders and the other by Democrats. The participants are largely Israel allies, but other lawmakers are warning that, if Israel doesn't act swiftly to resolve the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, its opponents on Capitol Hill will only grow. 'If Netanyahu continues to overstep and intensifies the genocide, I think political support in the Congress will continue to drop, on both sides of the aisle,' Johnson said.
Sky News AU
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Only in America: Democrat congressman sings and strums anti-Trump ballad
Sky News host James Morrow has urged Democratic congressman Hank Johnson not to quit his day job after he performed an original song on guitar calling for Donald Trump to release the Epstein files.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Congressman Writes Song 'Release The Epstein Files,' And, Yeah, It's Cringe
A lot of people ― including Kevin Spacey ― are calling forthe release of the remaining files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but, so far, only Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson has done so musically. And, based on the results, that might be a good thing. On social media Monday night, the Georgia congressman performed a ditty, 'Release the Epstein Files,' that is to the 'tune' ― we're using air quotes for a reason that will become clear when you hear Johnson sing ― of the Jason Isbell song 'Dreamsicle.' 'I'm Congressman Hank Johnson coming to give you some more ear candy, or perhaps an earache, but I'm going to do my best off of this Jason Isbell tune, 'Dreamsicle,'' is how he introduced the clip. As you can see below, Johnson performs the song on a guitar in his office. As you will hear, the guitar is out of tune, and so is Johnson, in parts. The lyrics are as follows: Epstein died by suicideBelieve that and you must be blindYou've been telling us you'd release the filesBut where are they?We've gone along with what's been toldYou've had plenty of timeYou're in controlBut now you say you will withholdThe Epstein filesDreamsicle on a summer nightin a folding lawn chairTrump's howling at the moonRelease the Epstein files soon. Release the Epstein Files. — Rep. Hank Johnson (@RepHankJohnson) July 15, 2025 No one from Isbell's camp immediately responded to a HuffPost request for his reaction to the parody. Although the general reaction to a video like this might be comments along the lines of 'Don't give up your day job,' many of the snarkiest responses on social media came from Donald Trump supporters who presumedly do want Johnson out of Congress since he's a D-D-D-Democrat. Johnson's song comes after the Justice Department and FBI issued a memo claiming there is no evidence that Epstein kept a 'client list,' despite previous statements by the leaders of both departments that pushed for the files to be released. Trump asked supporters to stop talking about the disgraced financier via a lengthy rant on Truth Social over the weekend calling him 'a guy who never dies.' This isn't Johnson's first in-office protest song. Last month, he released a ditty called 'Hey Trump,' to the tune of Jimi Hendrix's 'Hey Joe,' and asked viewers for a little slack as he has only recently started playing guitar. Kevin Spacey Says Release Epstein Files: 'Nothing To Fear' CNN Host Swats Down Republican's Epstein 'Nonsense' Talk With Searing Reality Check Huge MAGA Crowd Expresses Outrage Over Epstein Files With 1 Telling Gesture
Time of India
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Trump's Iran Strikes Trigger Storm In U.S.; Congressman Hank Drops 'Impeach Dictator' Bombshell
/ Jun 27, 2025, 08:41AM IST Congressman Hank Johnson delivers a blistering condemnation of Donald Trump's presidency, accusing him of dismantling democratic institutions, violating constitutional norms, and engaging in authoritarian behavior. Johnson describes unlawful detainments, foreign emoluments, and the collapse of congressional oversight under Republican control. Despite the dire warning, he acknowledges that impeachment is unlikely due to GOP inaction, while Democrats continue legal and legislative resistance.#DemocracyInCrisis #Authoritarianism #ChecksAndBalances #ConstitutionalCrisis #TrumpCorruption #RuleOfLaw #PresidentialPower #GOPAccountability
