Matt Gaetz mocked for outburst against last-minute GOP primary challenger dubbing him McCarthy's 'puppet'

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA: Rep Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) was met with a primary challenge in his congressional district just before the filing deadline, according to Mediaite.

The challenge was filed by Aaron Dimmock, a former naval aviator, who will be running in the August 20 Republican primary against Gaetz.

What did Matt Gaetz say regarding his last-minute GOP primary opponent?

Rep Matt Gaetz accused his Florida GOP primary challenger, Aaron Dimmock, of being a "puppet" candidate, and chided former Rep Kevin McCarthy (R-Ca.) for retributively putting roadblocks in his bid for another congressional term.

Gaetz posted on X, “Meet @aaronwdimmock - the BLM supporting DEI instructor running against me in the Republican Primary. I knew former Representative McCarthy would be getting a puppet of his to run. I didn’t know it would be a Woke Toby Flenderson!”

Gaetz had played a crucial role in McCarthy's ouster as Speaker of the House in October, last year.

McCarthy, in retaliation, had filed an ethics complaint against Gaetz, accusing him of having sexual relations with a minor.

In a recent report, The Daily Caller, a right-wing news outlet, revealed that Dimmock had previously supported the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and advocated for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), citing his LinkedIn page.

Gaetz compared him to a character from ‘The Office,’ Toby Flenderson, dismissing him as a "Woke" candidate.

Additionally, the aforementioned outlet reported that both Dimmock and McCarthy had connections with “a treasurer with American Patriots PAC, a group founded by allies of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.”

Internet trolls Matt Gaetz for blowing his cool over last-minute GOP primary challenger

One X user remarked, "Either one of you will be awful. You’ve done nothing for your constituents Matt."

Another user said, "Good luck to the challenger…… would be a REAL pleasure to see ‘the Gaetz’ go down!"

Another user asked, "Running scared there, Matty?"

One X user claimed, "Matt, there are a lot of Repubs who think you are a disaster. You could get voted out."

Another user quipped, "Someone's worried and it is hilarious."

Finally, this user tweeted, "Good for him. Cause you suck. Guess what. Maga has lost 3 special elections to moderates like him. Interesting. Maga seems to have met their end in fla." [sic]

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.