Nate Bargatze returned to social media after being busted sucking up to Donald Trump—and promptly got caught deleting his critics.
The top-selling comedian was exposed as a friend to MAGA after being spotted at the president’s 80th birthday celebrations at the White House. Bargatze attended Trump’s UFC fight, where he posed alongside some of MAGA’s most prominent faces, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cheryl Hines, Joe Rogan, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee.
Pictures quickly went viral, and Bargatze went silent in the aftermath. 11 days after the scandal, however, the comedian returned to social media with a post from his ongoing tour. The 47-year-old comedian thanked fans who attended his shows in Houston, Austin, and Corpus Cristi, writing, “Three cities. Four shows. One great weekend.”
And while the comments are littered with support from fans—including actress Selma Blair—it appears that any remark critical of Bargatze is being deleted. Comments that reference the Trump administration or reflect the fierce backlash within Bargatze’s fanbase have either been hidden or removed.
“Condemn the horrid comment about our former First Lady and apologize/explain your WH visit to your progressive/Mexican-American/feminist fans. You had some — many, in fact. We liked you; we simply want clarity if you value us — or not‚” one user wrote, referencing UFC fighter Josh Hokit’s slur against Michelle Obama at the White House event.
“This guy supports pedophiles,” another wrote. “Bootlicker,” said one.
Comments on the post from earlier Thursday afternoon are no longer visible, including the ones mentioned above.
One user acknowledged that comments are being deleted, writing, “We’ll see how long this comment stays up.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to Bargatze’s representatives for comment.
The comedian, who has three million followers on Instagram, made a social media comeback but has not explicitly addressed his attendance at the event.
A source close to Bargatze told the Daily Beast last week that he came to Trump’s birthday bonanza because UFC is his “favorite sport.” They added that Bargatze’s presence was “not political.”
The family-friendly comic, known for profanity-free, digestible acts, was amongst several known MAGA-friendly comedians spotted on the White House lawn. This includes Tony Hinchcliffe, who infamously performed at a Trump rally in 2024, and Shane Gillis.
Bargatze has previously said that while he “enjoys politics,” he shies away from speaking about it. “You get older, you start following stuff. But now it’s even more important to go, ‘All right, let me just stay out of what I need to stay out of,’” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2024.
Asked by Vanity Fair in 2021 about why he doesn’t discuss politics in his sets, Bargatze issued a similar response. “Politics have got into everything,” he said. “Comedians, movies, television. So why do you need me to do it? I don’t have a college education. I almost didn’t graduate high school. What on earth can I tell you? You should never vote for something I tell you to do.”
