No one was more excited to announce that Donald Trump is running for president (again) in 2024 than Donald Trump. For months, the twice-impeached former POTUS — who famously lost the 2020 presidential election (though try getting him to admit that) — has been teasing the whole “will he or won’t he run?” thing, despite the fact that fewer and fewer people seem to care.
While, predictably, Lindsey Graham managed to stop panic-crying about Herschel Walker long enough to pledge a blood oath to the disastrous former president, only one other “current” member of Congress seemed to have shown up for Trump’s big night: fellow disgraced Republican Madison Cawthorn.
At least one member of Congress is at former President Trump’s Mar a Lago event: outgoing Rep. Madison Cawthorn
There was uncertainty about who would make it. Rep. Matt Gaetz also was expected but storm scrambled travel plans pic.twitter.com/1mt0ojA7FC
— Steven Nelson (@stevennelson10) November 16, 2022
While Cawthorn is still officially a North Carolina congressman, he hasn’t been doing a whole lot of Congress-ing since losing his reelection bid. In fact, the last we really heard from him were his cryptic threats about a “dark MAGA” takeover following his humiliating defeat, which might explain why he was pretty much the only politician who actually RSVP’ed yes to Trump’s invite. Unless he’s buddying up to the former president to make Trump-Cawthorn 2024 the end result of his “dark MAGA” threat?
Only Member of Congress to attend Trump’s shitshow tonight is Madison Cawthorn
Same Madison who has stopped showing up for work & offering constituent services
Who misused hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds on luxury goods
This clown is the best Trump can do
— Lindy Li (@lindyli) November 16, 2022
It should be noted that Matt Gaetz was also expected to be in attendance, but inclement weather supposedly interrupted his travel plans. With or without the Florida congressman, who has been under investigation for sex trafficking (and even dared to seek a preemptive pardon for the charges), onlookers rightly described the scene at Mar-a-Lago as “just a room full of losers.”
Outgoing congressman Madison Cawthorn is at Trump’s event tonight.
Just a room full of losers.
— Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) November 16, 2022
And while most Republicans — and, really, all of America — have practically already forgotten about Cawthorn altogether, the hard-partying politician who spent his campaign funds on who knows what has already begun writing his next chapter: Florida Man. The supposedly broke congressman has reportedly just spent $1.1 million on a home in Cape Coral, Florida. It’s only a matter of time before he makes headlines — or a story on the official Florida Man Twitter account.