Who is Matt Gaetz? This is the man who threw Congress into chaos

Matt Gaetz may have been best known by some for his fiery far-right brand of American populism but he recently became a household name for his role in toppling a house speaker and throwing the country’s politics into serious chaos. But who is this Republican renegade?

Gaetz might look like a suave servant of the people with his perfectly crafted haircut but he is no blue-collar boy. Matt Louis Gaetz II is the son of Don Gaetz, a former politician in Florida, and grandson of former North Dakota State Senator Jerry Gaetz.  

Matt was raised in Fort Walton Beach, Florida and he quickly followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather after graduating from William & Mary Law School. Gaetz only worked in law for a short time before running for the Florida House of Representatives.

Gaetz was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2010 and he served until 2016 when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. But his time in Florida state politics showed he was already a nasty political firebrand with a tough reputation. 

However, tough really isn’t the right word for the way Gaetz carried himself in Florida, a more accurate assessment of his actions might be that he was unkind and unforgiving. Take for example what he once tweeted about watching someone use welfare stamps. 

“Yesterday I saw a lady at Publix use her ’Access’ welfare card. Her back was covered in tattoos. RT if u support entitlement reform,” Gaetz wrote on Twitter. His profile is full of other witticisms and problematic posts that reveal a man who just has no clue about life. 

The then-Florida State representative later said that his remarks weren’t aimed at the women he saw in the grocery store according to the Tampa Bay Times, but rather were a comment on growing “entitlement programs for people who are spending money on frivolities."

Gaetz currently describes himself on Twitter as a “Florida Man. Built for Battle.” But Matt is really only built for being a contrarian and he’s taken up a weird position in his party as one of the few Republicans who will stick to his ‘morals,’ regardless if they’re wrong. 

For example, Gaetz has been a longtime advocate of capital punishment and he was a sponsor of the Timely Justice Act in the Florida House according to a 2013 Slate report. Gaetz said at the time that “only God can judge, but we sure can set up the meeting.”

Gaetz didn’t change much once he made it to federal politics and he has been one of the country’s most ardent conservative voices in Congress. He ran for Florida's 1st District seat, the same as his father, and won the primary vote by 35.7%, Politico reported. 

Gaetz easily won the general election for Florida’s 1st District, beating out Democrat Steven Specht with 69.1% of the vote, which began his long and illustrious career of being one of the biggest popsicles to progress in America with his regressive politics. 

Matt has described himself as a “libertarian populist” according to a quote published in Vanity Fair. Gaetz also explained that he believes the government is “bad at doing stuff” but he doesn’t believe that big government should be bent to the will of big business. 

Gaetz has a complicated policy track record but Wikipedia has collected an excellent summary of the Florida Representative’s positions. Gaetz has said he acknowledges global warming but disagrees with the consensus that humans are the primary driver. 

Things only get worse from his views on climate change. Gaetz is an ardent gun rights supporter and National Rifle Association president Marion Hammer once called Geatz “one of the most pro-gun members to have ever served in the Florida Legislature.”

Gaetz is also a foreign policy hawk who was against the withdrawal from Syria and he has been a vocal opponent of supporting Ukraine in its struggle against Russia. Gaetz notes on his website that the United States must “project global strength.”

The Florida Congressman has sponsored legislation that would allow schools to opt out of common core textbook requirements. He is also against abortion, against regulations, and in favor of tax cuts. Gaetz is a Trump supporter and voted against impeachment. 

Some of Matt Gaetz’s policy positions may look good to you. But what might not be so hot about this Florida Representative is his long history of allegedly less-than-admirable behavior. Gaetz was arrested for driving under the influence but that isn’t the worst of it.

In January 2020, the Secret Service began investigating the Florida Congressmen after they received a tip that Gaetz was involved with Joel Greenberg, a Seminole County tax collector who was indicted on charges related to human trafficking. 

A wide range of allegations surfaced because of the investigation into Gaetz, including that he used campaign money in his relationship with young girls for travel expenses according to CNN. It was later reported he was being investigated for human trafficking among other crimes.

However, it is important to note that Gaetz was never indicted and The Washington Post reported in September 2022 that senior officials in the Justice Department decided not to charge Gaetz because of issues with the credibility of the witnesses against him. 

In July 2023, ABC News reported that the House Ethics Committee reopened its probe into Gaetz’s alleged criminal activities after it had put its investigation on hold while the Department of Justice reviewed allegations that Gaetz had relations with a minor.