Ilhan Omar's Reaction When Approached by Matt Gaetz Goes Viral

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar's unimpressed expression while chatting with Republican Matt Gaetz in Congress on Thursday has been immortalized in a photo that has since gone viral on social media.

In the picture, the Minnesota representative looks rather uninspired as Gaetz leans over her chair and speaks to her animatedly. While the topic of the conversation between the two representatives is unknown, POLITICO reporter Nicholas Wu tweeted that "Rep. Matt Gaetz had been making the rounds on the D side today talking to members."

The two representatives were back in Congress on Thursday as the House attempted for the third day in a row to elect a new speaker as hopeful Kevin McCarthy failed again to secure enough votes.

Ilhan Omar, Matt Gaetz
Rep. Ilhan Omar, left, grimaces as Rep. Matt Gaetz speaks to her in the House Chamber during the third day of elections for Speaker on January 5, 2023, in Washington, D.C. The picture has gone... Win McNamee/Getty Images

Wu wrote on Twitter that a source familiar with the matter told him that the Florida congressman "told Rep. Omar the anti-Kevin group got all they wanted but still weren't voting for him yet."

"Her body language: leaning away from him, wants nothing to do with him. Face shows disgust mixed with puzzlement, mouth corners turned waaaay down. His presence is beyond unwelcome," commented one Twitter user.

"A picture is worth 1000 words. She looks like she just smelled bad fart," another person tweeted.

In an interview with Fox News on Thursday, after McCarthy failed to gather enough support to be elected House Speaker in now 11 consecutive votes, Gaetz excluded the possibility of a deal between Republicans and Democrats to elect a moderate Republican as House leader, vowing to resign if one were chosen.

Gaetz, a member of the Freedom Caucus and one of the House Republican defectors who consistently voted against McCarthy this week, said he will not support the California congressman.

"I resent the extent to which he utilizes the lobbyists and special interests to dictate how political decisions, policy decisions, and leadership decisions are made. We have zero trust in him," he tweeted early on Friday.

In a lone vote on Thursday, Gaetz nominated Donald Trump for House Speaker. The former president has publicly given his support to McCarthy, calling for House Republicans to rally around the candidate. But even his apparently most loyal followers in Congress, including Gaetz, are openly defying him.

The House will reconvene today, but it's unclear how McCarthy could overcome the impasse that has paralyzed Congress, considering previous concessions to the hard-line rebels opposing his bid have failed to move defectors on his side.

Newsweek reached out to Representatives Omar and Gaetz for comment.

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About the writer

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

Writers Page

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property ... Read more