Democrat goes viral for unrelenting blast against republican “cult”

A clip of Representative Eric Swalwell accusing Republicans of being in a “cult” for supporting former President Donald Trump went viral on social media Tuesday afternoon.

Swalwell, a California Democrat and frequent Trump critic, delivered a monologue attacking Republicans during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in which members of Congress heard testimony from Attorney General Merrick Garland. Trump’s legal battles were a point of contention during the hearing, as Republicans have accused prosecutors of targeting the former president for political purposes amid his 2024 presidential campaign.

Last week, a New York City jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business documents to cover up an alleged hush money payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels. The trial and verdict sparked outrage from conservatives.

On Tuesday, Swalwell equated their defense of Trump despite the verdict to members of a cult during the hearing.

“If you believe in states’ rights, except when a jury in that state convicts your nominee for president, you might be in a cult. If you claim you back the blue but want to defund the police when the police go to your nominee’s house to retrieve national security secrets, you might be in a cult,” he said.

He continued to say that Republicans who support Trump despite having “felony convictions that prevent him from going to” several countries “might be in a cult,” listing the countries Trump may face a travel ban due to his conviction.

A Republican lawmaker tried to interrupt this list, asking for his words to be struck from the record, but Swalwell continued speaking. Meanwhile, Representative Jim Jordan was slamming the gavel, warning that Swalwell’s time was up.

Across the globe, 38 countries including the United States have placed travel restrictions on individuals convicted of a felony.

The video quickly spread across social media X (formerly Twitter), garnering hundreds of thousands of views in less than an hour. In a post to X, Swalwell wrote, “It’s a long list…”

He drew praise from Democrats on social media.

“Swalwell for the win and the f’ng gavel in the background is the chef’s kiss,” wrote @JoJoFromJerr.

“The MAGA Republicans are terrified of the facts,” wrote editor and animator Chris Strider.

Conservatives, however, criticized Swalwell over his speech.

“Eric Swalwell says Republican House Judiciary members are ‘in a cult’ for believing the justice system is weaponized against Trump. Meanwhile, he’s flanked by a staffer in a mask, 4 years into Covid,” posted conservative commentator @_johnnymaga.

Following the verdict, Trump told reporters: “The real verdict is going to be November 5 by the people. And they know what happened here, and everybody knows what happened here. You have a Soros-backed DA and the whole thing. We didn’t do a thing wrong. I’m a very innocent man. And it’s OK, I’m fighting for our country. I’m fighting for our Constitution. Our whole country is being rigged right now.”

Newsweek reached out to Swalwell’s office and Trump’s campaign for comment via email