‘How is this real life?’: Critics react to Matt Gaetz nicknaming Trump ‘Big Daddy’

A moment of perhaps unintended levity was sprinkled into a speech delivered by Rep Matt Gaetz while he was stumping at Donald Trump’s rally in Florida ahead of this week’s midterms.

The event, held to support the Senator Marco Rubio’s re-election campaign, featured flowery commentary from the Florida congressman, where he heaped praise on the former president and classified him as the ultimate “closer” in US politics.

“It is closing time in these midterm elections. The fight is on, and there is no closer in American politics like Big Daddy Don,” said the GOP congressman, a conclusion that earned him a rousing round of cheers and applause from the crowd gathered at the Miami-Dade County Fair and Exposition on Sunday.

The pet name for the 45th president seemed to gain the approval of the heavily MAGA crowd gathered in Miami over the weekend, but the same could not be said for the reception the nickname received online.

“Matt Gaetz is now calling Trump, ‘Big Daddy Don.’ How is this real life?” tweeted the USA Singers, a resistance group of “virtuoso performers” who describe themselves as being a collective that is anti-GOP and stands against fascism while supporting democracy.

Amid other reactions, which included multiple instances of reaction gifs that showed a person either gagging or stifling back vomit, there were some who referred to how the Florida congressman has been under investigation for sex trafficking as part of a long-running Department of Justice probe.

“Gaetz called trump ‘big daddy don.’ he needs to be arrested for that alone,” tweeted one online observer, while another wrote: “Accused pedophile and trafficker Matt Gaetz refers to noted rapist Donald Trump as ‘big daddy Don’ Whew”.

Mr Trump acknowledged the allegations that were investigated by the DoJ during the rally, which Mr Gaetz has not been formally charged with and has maintained his innocence against all accusations and offered the Florida senator his condolences.

“He is so tough, so strong, and everybody stayed with him. He is smart and he loves this state and this country. Matt Gaetz, great man,” said Mr Trump, without explicitly discussing the two-year investigation – that was opened during his administration – that stems from allegations that a 17-year-old girl was paid to have a sexual relationship with the congressman.

That probe against Mr Gaetz, however, will likely not result in any charges, according to the Washington Post. Earlier this fall, the news outlet reported that though senior officials have not yet decided whether to seek an indictment of Mr Gaetz, prosecutors were recommending not to do so as a result “of credibility questions with the two central witnesses”.

Mr Trump took Sunday’s rally as a chance to offer up his apologies to the congressman, which then later earned him the “big daddy” nickname that ended up offending so many online.

“We apologise to you on behalf of the country, all of us do, because what you went through is just terrible and so unnecessary,” Mr Trump added.

The 40-year-old Republican incumbent is facing off against Democratic congressional nominee Rebekah D Jones, who gained national notoriety after she claimed she was fired from her government job in 2020 after she refused to suppress virus data from the public.