Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz was caught on camera receiving a scolding from his mother for daring to contradict President Donald Trump.
A video posted by TikTok user @tidesofmarch showed Gaetz on an airplane scrolling through texts with his mom—who was apparently aggravated by her son’s criticism of the U.S. going to war with Iran, which she interpreted as an attack on Trump.
“Don’t be criticizing the president or his actions,” Vicky Gaetz ordered her son.
“MAGA will turn on you,” she warned. “You will lose viewership. Your days in Congress are over, practice of law? Let’s not mess up the media gig. The president has been a very good friend to you. He hates betrayal. Be smart, not stubborn.”
Gaetz fired back, “I’m trying to guide him, not criticize him.”
“Guiding DJT always includes a private and public component,” he said. “I know how to do it.”
At one point during the argument, Vicky Gaetz expressed concern about her son losing his job as a right-wing commentator, quoting his Florida state lawmaker father Don Gaetz as telling him not to “get s--- on your face.”
“How many times do you want to hit the wall?” she asked.
Gaetz responded by boasting that he has “two penthouse condos,” “a 1:1 real estate asset to debt ratio,” and “500K in my bank account.”
“I guess I’ll keep hitting it till I die,” he said.
Gaetz confirmed the authenticity of the texts in a Tuesday X post.
“Apparently someone sitting behind me on a flight recorded me without my knowledge,” he wrote. “They found me texting my mother about news of the day, family finances, and working on my laptop. Please let this be a reminder to everyone to CALL YOUR MOTHER!”
Gaetz’ father is a big name in Florida state politics. Don Gaetz, 77, returned to the state’s senate in 2024. He previously served as a senator from 2006 to 2016, and as the body’s president between 2012 and 2014.
Vicky Gaetz, 74, is known for her charitable work, including animal rights advocacy, according to Politico.
Gaetz was Trump’s original pick for attorney general last year before losing the nomination over allegations that he used illegal drugs and had sex with a minor, which he denied. He parlayed his MAGA credentials into an anchor position at the right-wing One America News Network.
The former lawmaker is one of a number of typically unequivocal supporters of the president who have made clear their opposition to U.S. involvement in the conflict between Israel and Iran.
While Gaetz has not gone so far as to fire a shot at Trump directly, he has repeatedly urged—both on his show and on social media—against attacking Iran.
“I am 43 years old,” he wrote on June 14. “People my age and younger are tired of America being at war in the Middle East. It is a political fact. One President Trump brilliantly brought to light in multiple successful primary & general elections.”
On Saturday, Trump launched a surprise strike on Iran’s nuclear capabilities. He announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran on Monday, earning praise from Gaetz.
However, the ceasefire—to Trump’s ire—appeared to be broken just a day after it was announced. Hours later, though, Trump insisted that the ceasefire was still in effect.
“ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran,” he wrote in a Truth Social post. “All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly ‘Plane Wave’ to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect!”
