Activism
‘It’s not me wearing a MAGA hat!’ Dem scrambles as identical twin leaps into politics
Sometimes, identical twins enter politics together. One of the most famous examples are Julián and Joaquin Castro, who have both held various offices in Texas. But in Indiana, something even more unusual is brewing: a pair of identical twins active in politics — but in opposite parties.
The reveal came on Tuesday, when Indianapolis City Councilor Nick Roberts posted a video statement on X, captioned, "Addressing something you might have heard about. And no, this isn’t a joke."
"My identical twin brother, Nate, has recently decided to get involved in Republican politics," said Roberts. "While this might seem ridiculous for a lot of reasons, it's been very confusing because we look similar, because he's a Republican, and because a lot of people didn't know I was a twin in the first place."
"Like a lot of families, we have a lot of political disagreement in ours, and it's just something that we've had to deal with," said Roberts. "So, just know if you see somebody that looks like me at a Republican event, or definitely if they're wearing a MAGA hat, it is not me. It is him. And while we disagree on a lot of things, he's still my brother and I care about him. We just disagree on basically every single political issue."
Roberts' brother recently gained attention when he spoke at the Indiana legislature in support of President Donald Trump's mid-decade gerrymandering scheme that would have deleted the state's two Democratic congressional districts. That plan, which triggered months of White House pressure and violent threats against Indiana lawmakers, ultimately failed as even a majority of the GOP state Senate caucus voted it down.
This is not the first time a pair of brothers has found themselves on opposite sides in politics. Another such pair is Brad Woodhouse, who heads up the liberal health care group Protect Our Care, and Dallas Woodhouse, who previously headed the North Carolina Republican Party.
‘Badly broken’ Trump triggers swift outrage with double-down on Rob Reiner attack
President Donald Trump sent the internet into a frenzy on Monday afternoon after he doubled down on his comments about slain director Rob Reiner from earlier in the day.
Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday morning that Reiner suffered from "Trump Derangement Syndrome" and said the director died "due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction." The comments sparked bipartisan outrage.
Reiner and his wife, Michelle, were found dead in their Hollywood home on Saturday night. Authorities have identified the Reiners' 32-year-old son, Nick, as the primary suspect in the case after he and Rob had an argument at a holiday party hosted by talk show host Conan O'Brien, according to CNN.
Trump doubled down on those comments when CNN's Kristen Holmes asked Trump about the criticism he received from Republicans during a press conference on Monday afternoon.
"I wasn't a fan of his at all," Trump said. "He was a deranged person."
Political analysts and observers condemned Trump's comments on social media.
"FFS," conservative columnist Charlie Sykes posted on X.
"I know his staff is beyond shame, but each and every one of them should feel utterly embarrassed to work for a human this badly broken," political speechwriter Zev Karlin Neumann posted on X.
"Just disgusting," writer Olivia Juliana posted on X.
"What are the deletists going to say now?" entertainment entrepreneur Ian Schaefer posted on X.
"Hey, Erika Kirk! Are you going to tell F---face over here to tone down the hateful rhetoric?" writer Polly Singh asked on X.
"This is why we all can’t wait for the day," Democratic digital strategist Ally Sammarco posted on X.
