|
A controversy has sparked after attendees at a Republican fundraising event assaulted a mannequin that resembled U.S. President Joe Biden.
On the 13th (local time), local media such as AP and The New York Times reported that attendees at a Republican fundraising event held in Overland Park, Kansas, on the 8th kicked or hammered a mannequin that resembled Biden.
The video of the incident spread primarily through social media. In the video, a mannequin resembling Biden’s face can be seen wearing a T-shirt with the phrase “Let’s Go Brandon.” Attendees are then seen kicking and hammering the mannequin.
“Let’s Go Brandon” is a slogan used by Donald Trump supporters to mock Biden. This originated in 2021 when an NBC reporter interviewing a car race winner covered up the audience’s profanity towards Biden by saying, “The audience is chanting ‘Let’s Go Brandon.'”
|
The Democratic Party condemned this as “crossing the line,” and criticism also came from within the Republican Party.
Mike Kuckelman, former chairman of the Kansas Republican Party, said, “The vast majority of Republicans in Kansas are as disgusted as I am. I don’t agree with Biden’s policies, but he is a colleague.”
Dan Hawkins, Speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives from the Republican Party, also criticized, “What may seem like a joke can be perceived as allowing behavior that could have tragic consequences for some people.”
Another Republican, Ty Masterson, a Kansas state senator, said, “We should focus on promoting conservative ideas, electing Republicans, and defeating Joe Biden at the ballot box. Meaningless violent protests do not attract voters’ attention.”
As the controversy grew, the Johnson County Republican Party hosted the event and explained, “We opened that booth to promote self-defense martial art classes at a karate dojo. No one was asked for a donation in return for hitting the training device.” The mannequin was reported to have been immediately removed after the controversy.
Most Commented