At Biden’s State of the Union address, one Texan stood out, Rep. Troy Nehls, the biggest Trump fanboy.
Where many other politicians wore outfits to make political statements or express their values and opinions, such as an Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages, the Russian war on Ukraine, women’s rights, or border security, Nehls used his outfit to represent his greatest ideal: Donald Trump.
On March 8, Nehls wore a shirt with former President Donald Trump’s mugshot and the words “Never Surrender!” paired with an American flag bow tie. Since his election in 2021, Nehls has been an ardent supporter of Trump, so much so that he even proposed him for Speaker of the House.
The Daily Beast interviewed the junior representative, who doesn’t shy away from controversy by saying the quiet part out loud, and according to their report, he’s made a name for himself by always saying something outrageous, offensive, or newsworthy
For example, Nehls admitted that he won’t support the bipartisan border security bill because he’s “not willing to do too damn much right now to help a Democrat and help Joe Biden’s approval rating.”
He also has called Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) – a Black woman – “loud” and her husband a “thug.” Bush said the insult was racist and when questioned about the language used Nehls said “Whatever. I called him a ‘thug.’ It is what it is.”
Nehls has used the same language when he referred to Goerge Floyd, the black man killed by a police officer kneeling on his neck, as “that criminal, that thug.”
Yet he has never used this rhetoric when talking about the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol in which a rioter, Ashli Babbitt, died after being shot by Capitol Police. Nehls called for an investigation into the USCP’s role in Babbitt’s death.
“I was at the doors on January 6, face to face with protestors, and I know firsthand there was NO INSURRECTION,” Nehls posted on social media in October.
“There was not a member of Congress that was assaulted or hurt,” he told the Daily Beast, omitting that some rioters hoped to do just that and that then-speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office was vandalized.
Nehls spent nearly three decades in law enforcement in Texas and has a checkered background. In 1998, he was fired from the Richmond Police Department in Texas after committing 19 infractions in one year, including the destruction of evidence, and as sheriff, he faced scrutiny over two inmate deaths in county jails.
Still, his unwavering allegiance to Trump has solidified his position within the Republican ranks. Nehls fanaticism goes beyond of any other republican, by saying things like Trump “can do things that are impossible and turn them into reality,”
This trend of acting like Trump and prioritizing him above all else is gaining support over the years, and even GOP members who don’t act like the former president are being attacked by MAGA Republicans by calling them RINOs.
While his approach may be polarizing, it is clear that Nehls’ approach is effective and that he is one of the biggest Trump fanboys.
