A viral TikTok video captures the consummate Florida Man sitting on an airplane, scrolling through a text message exchange with his mother. The video, which has notched more than 95,000 likes, shows Gaetz, wearing what appears to be a light blue quarter-zip from one of President Donald Trump's golf clubs, in a heated text exchange with a contact on his phone listed as "Mom."
The TikTok reads, "POV: You're sitting behind Matt Gaetz, and he's texting his mommy."
In the video, Gaetz scrolls through the conversation, in which his mother takes issue with his criticism of Trump's decision-making around Iran — criticisms Gaetz leveled on The Matt Gaetz Show on One America News Network (OANN).
The texts are easily visible, thanks to the large font display on the former congressman's phone.
@tidesofmarch Who’s running this country? 🙃 #politicalsatire #pov #lol #news #momsoftiktok #america #repost #learnontiktok #tiktok ♬ Farcry 3 Music - 🦊🎄KingSam🎄🦊
The video starts with Gaetz perusing a message he wrote that reads, "Remember. These wars are always popular at first. But history turns."
In a subsequent text, he added, "If you'd like to spend time worrying about the career or financial well-being of your children...perhaps consider devoting that energy to the one who:"
Gaetz is then seen scrolling through texts wherein his mother writes of getting ready for her birthday dinner at the Ocean Club. (She has been craving the grouper.) The pair exchanged a few more texts about brokerage accounts and baseball before Mom came in hot about her son's public reaming of the Commander-in-Chief.
"Don't be criticizing the President on his actions," her text reads. "He's trying to keep us safe. That's his job. MAGA will turn on you. You will lose viewership. Your days in [C]ongress 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."
Responded Gaetz: "I'm trying to guide him, not criticize him. But I've never been freer to share my views — and I'll continue to do so. I think about the people who cheered the Iraq War because they liked Bush. Those people have blood on their hands."
Whereupon Mom cautioned her son not to "guide [Trump] in the public sphere."
"He has intelligence and briefing that you are not privy to," she added.
He responded that North Korea poses a greater nuclear threat than Iran. "You'd be surprised," he wrote. "Guiding DJT always includes a private and public component. I know how to do it."
Mom shot back with an apparent reference to Matt's dad, longtime Florida Sen. Don Gaetz.
"Don said, 'Don't get shit on your face. He said what happens when [you're] media...."
Gaetz: "lol. I'll move to my fully paid condo in paradise," adding an unidentifiable flag emoji.
Mom: "How many times do you want to hit the wall?"
Noting that he's a happily married man with a son on the way, two penthouse condos, and $500,000 in his bank account, Gaetz replied, "I guess I'll keep hitting it till I die."
Earlier this morning, Gaetz acknowledged the exchange in a tweet, writing: "Apparently someone sitting behind me on a flight recorded me without my knowledge."
Apparently someone sitting behind me on a flight recorded me without my knowledge.
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) June 24, 2025
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!
(and maybe get a screen…
