(I’m away for the rest of the afternoon of course, so enjoy and I’ll catch up ASAP.)
maga influencer Riley Gaines sparked controversy after a behind-the-scenes video of her practicing a spot for Patriot Mobile and repeatedly asking what conservative talking points she should hit went viral.
Fifth place collegiate swimmer turned anti-trans activist turned MAGA trad-wife influencer Riley Gaines is drawing new backlash and mockery online after requiring her sponsor, Patriot Mobile, to tell her what she “feels very passionately about” in a recently leaked behind-the-scenes video from an ad campaign video shoot.
In the clip, Gaines asks what the MAGA brand Patriot Mobile wants her to say, asking what the “pillars” of her beliefs are and counting on her fingers as she repeats them. An offscreen company representative can barely be heard answering her questions.
The pillars listed include the First Amendment, Second Amendment, reproductive freedom is bad, and something about veterans. Gaines then does a quick take before stopping again and asking how exactly to state the beliefs Patriot Mobile told her to have.
The clip quickly went viral across social media.
You can watch the clip here on multiple platforms:
https://youtu.be/ON3zZGgyJZw?si=7Ots7kmIGrZDHDiX
(snip-above is YouTube; there are BlueSky and other social posts embedded on this story’s page, linked in the title above. The posts are hilarious, as one would infer. Enjoy!)
Gaines was once the darling of the MAGAsphere, garnering invitations to the White House, CPAC, and MAGA rallies, but has lost some of her shine. She’s since even drawn criticism from MAGA Republican President Donald Trump and ridicule from both the right and left.
An ad campaign for anti-trans clothing line XX-XY Athletics drew widespread mockery instead of the sympathy it was aiming for. The brand, who made transphobia their brand—literally—released an ad on X featuring Gaines claiming she had been “silenced” by trans rights activists.
With her single focus of anti-trans bigotry and hatred no longer paying off like it had in the past, Gaines has tried to branch out to embrace other MAGA core values, but with very limited success.
Since it’s a new angle for her, no wonder she needs to be told what it is she now believes.(snip-end)
Scottie's Playtime 