Republican Rep. George Santos and popular drag artist Trixie Mattel engaged in a public feud on social media on Monday. The shade throwing began when the RuPaul's Drag Race alum Mattel, responded to the controversial lawmaker after he mocked those impersonating him.
"I have now been enshrined in late night TV history with all these impersonations, but they are all TERRIBLE so far," Santos wrote on Twitter Monday. "Jon Lovitz is supposed to be one of the greatest comedians of all time and that was embarrassing— for him not me! These comedians need to step their game up."
"Maybe the source material was weak," Mattel cheekily replied.
maybe the source material was weak.
— Trixie Mattel™ (@trixiemattel) January 24, 2023
Santos then responded: "Clearly you know all about weak acting skills @trixiemattel," adding a gif of the drag queen impersonating RuPaul Charles on her season of All Stars, for which she was nearly eliminated from the competition.
Mattel then quoted Santos writing, "I am not an actor! I was young and I had fun at a festival!"
The line is the same one that Santos used when he denied being a "drag queen" when he lived in Brazil. He told reporters: "No, I was not a drag queen in Brazil, guys. I was young and I had fun at a festival. Sue me for having a life."
However, Santos also came back with a saucy comment saying, "It's all good! I won my race against the fan favorite too."
The tweet was obviously in reference to Mattel beating Kennedy Davenport in season 3 of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. Santos beat Democrat Robert Zimmerman in the run for his district.
Santos was elected in November to represent New York's 3rd Congressional District. However, since his win, he has been the subject of contentious headlines.
The New York Times investigated his background and found that many of the claims he made on the campaign trail and on his resume were not true, including his education and work history. This sparked a call for his resignation to which he declined to do so.
Days after Representative-elect George Santos admitted to lying about his work and educational history during his campaign, a district attorney on Long Island said she planned to look into whether Santos could face criminal charges. https://t.co/oWCgnOHz8S
— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 28, 2022
This online exchange comes off the heels of images and videos coming to light that prove that Santos was a drag queen. Despite his denials, Rio drag entertainers have come forward to dispute Santos story.
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