Today’s pod tackles a subject of profound importance: the sheer, inexplicable weirdness of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. There’s Representative Matt Gaetz’s bizarre speech, in which his face was so taut that one Republican derided him as an “AI sex doll.” There are all the ugly “Mass Deportations Now!” signs, the cultish rituals in which attendees treated Trump as their MAGA God King, and much, much more. We talked to Ron Filipkowski, who closely tracks the right wing as the head of Meidas Touch News. He helped us find meaning underneath all the ugliness and insanity. Listen to this episode here.
PODCAST
Matt Gaetz’s Weird “AI Sex Doll” Speech Caps RNC Descent Into Madness
As the GOP convention sinks to a strange, dark place, we talked to a former Republican who closely tracks the right wing about what the proceedings really say about Trump’s MAGA-fied GOP.
![Matt Gaetz speaks while pointing at the audience](http://images.newrepublic.com/59aa0a36aa2d93efae6dc64ce35db9b7af9838d9.jpeg?auto=format&fit=crop&crop=faces&q=65&w=1000&h=undefined&ar=3%3A2&ixlib=react-9.0.2&w=1000)
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Representative Matt Gaetz onstage at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, on July 17