Move Over Tucker, Matt Gaetz Is Thinking of Joining Newmax
Axios reports that Matt Gaetz, one of the GOP's rising stars, is thinking of leaving Congress to take a job with Newsmax.
The Florida congressman has received considerable attention this year for his voracious opposition to Liz Cheney, the Wyoming GOP rep who voted to impeach ex-President Donald Trump after the January 6th insurrection. He traveled to Wyoming on January 28 to lead a rally against her and has called for her removal from Congress. His opposition to Cheney has made him a favorite of the ex-President.
The 38-year old "has gained a lot of attention for his support for Trump, and has frequently made cable news appearances to talk up the former president," writes The Hill.
"Gaetz, who was first elected to the House in 2016, the same year Trump won the presidency, has told allies that he is thinking about ending his congressional career in its third term," adds The Hill. "He's started early conversations with Newsmax about joining the conservative network, according to Axios." Newsmax is positioning itself as a rival to Fox for conservative viewers.
Politico adds that "the move would make a lot of sense for Gaetz. He's been down on his job since he arrived in Congress four years ago, chafing at the importance of seniority and what he sees as the phoniness of D.C. culture."
If he takes the job, MSNBC reports, he will be following in the footsteps of two other congressmen who moved to the news media after leaving the House: Trey Gowdy and Jason Chaffetz.
"In office, both Gowdy, R-S.C., and Chaffetz, R-Utah, used their positions to attack the Obama administration, specifically Hillary Clinton in the run-up to her 2016 presidential campaign," writes MSNBC. "Chaffetz resigned his seat in 2017 to take a gig at Fox News, rather than remaining chair of the House Oversight Committee during the Trump administration. Gowdy followed suit the next year, declining to run for re-election in 2018 and joining Fox as a commentator in 2019." Gowdy now hosts "Fox News Primetime" along with a rotating panel of hosts and Chaffetz is launching a new Fox-branded podcast this week.
Gaetz has also received media attention for his relationship with his "adopted" son Nestor, whom he revealed he was parenting last summer during a heated political debate with a Democratic rival. Nestor entered Gaetz life six years ago when he was dating Nestor's sister. After the pair broke up, Nestor continued to live with Gaetz, which he described as "a modern family," to People Magazine last June.
While media reports identify Nestor as Gaetz's "adopted" son, People adds "Geatz did not formally adopt Nestor (and he declines to discuss Nestor's relationship with his biological family now)." He re-frames the matter, saying, "Our relationship as a family is defined by our love for each other, not by any paperwork."
And while Gaetz describes Nestor as his "son," there is no legal documentation that he has legally adopted him. "Since Gaetz has declined to provide further details, there are still a lot of gaps here. We don't know how Nestor came to the US, and how he was allowed to do so without being adopted. There is also a significant disparity in the way Nestor is addressed. On Gaetz's personal accounts, Nestor is called a son, but on Gaetz's Congressional office account he is described as a 'remarkable young man' and 'part of my family story,'" writes the website Meaww.com in a deep-dig about the relationship.
News that Gaetz may be headed to television brought these responses on Twitter: