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Childfree, 70-year-old U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham caused a stir on social media over the weekend after he was spotted at Disney World during a partial federal government shutdown.
Over the weekend, Graham traded one swamp for another by traveling from Washington, D.C., to central Florida, where the septuagenarian was spotted at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. TMZ posted photos of Graham strolling through the happiest place on Earth and dining at a high-priced resort hotel, which quickly drew the ire of netizens who pointed out the irony of a government official enjoying a pricey vacation while the federal government he operates is in a partial shutdown.
Graham’s office hasn’t responded to New Times‘ emailed request for comment.
According to TMZ, Graham seemingly practiced alonemaxxing as he was photographed walking away from the Magic Kingdom’s Rapunzel-themed bathroom holding a Little Mermaid bubble wand (which retails for nearly $40). It’s unclear why the politician, who is famously a bachelor, was holding the child’s toy. Graham was also pictured dining at the pricey Disney World Contemporary Resort, where a single night costs between $475 and $1,300. (This reporter, who recently went to Disney World with his kids, can confirm the bubble wand’s cost and the resort location from the photos obtained by the site.)
The outlet also obtained a photo of Graham on Space Mountain with what appears to be a young boy.
Hundreds of Instagram users ran to the comments to eviscerate Graham for living it up while so many government employees go without paychecks.
“Mind you, he’s a 70-year-old man, no children, and never been married, hanging out in Disney World. Not weird at all,” wrote one user.
“Rules for thee, but not for me,” one quipped.
“I thought villains’ land didn’t open yet,” another joked in reference to Disney World’s upcoming expansion land dedicated to its movie villains, as reported by Inside the Magic.
Graham told TMZ he was at a meeting Friday with Trump officials in South Florida, and went to Orlando afterward to meet up with some friends. He said, “I voted 7 times to fully fund the government. Call a Democrat.”
TMZ issued a call for U.S. residents to send them photos of federal officials on vacation after the Senate and House of Representatives sessions ended on March 28. Officials are set to return April 12 and resume talks to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which are working with reduced staff during the shutdown that began Monday, according to NBC News.
