The Democratic Party has no shortage of issues facing it currently, and even the staunchest Dem supporters would likely admit that.
The polls are bad (and getting worse), the party appears split on many key issues, and there’s a seeming power grab happening within the party as it struggles to find a new leader.
There’s also an authenticity issue within the party, a problem the party has acknowledged and is willing to throw quite a bit of money at.
Alas, much to their collective chagrin, Democratic New York Rep. Tom Suozzi likely did not help the party’s authenticity issue after a viral video appeared to show him failing at the art of deception when being pressed.
Suozzi and other Democrats have largely decried the descriptions of the Los Angeles anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protests last week that portrayed a state of chaos and violence.
Their main argument is that President Donald Trump actually incited riots when he called in the National Guard and, eventually, the Marines, to help quell the initial protests.
Trump and his circle, meanwhile, argue that riotous crime was already occurring when the calls were made.
People who were already violating the law are only violating the law because President Trump started enforcing the law.
This is the logic of Newsom and his stooges. https://t.co/LRnmxuCtu6
— JD Vance (@JDVance) June 9, 2025
While being approached by someone who eventually asked about that apparent disparity of interpretation over the same events, Suozzi apparently didn’t have time to talk because he needed to take a quick phone call.
“A little hot out here today, isn’t it?” Suozzi asked the person filming the video.
“Yes, sir, uh — “
“Wait, wait, hold on, I got a call coming through,” Suozzi interrupted.
He then picked up his phone, as any person having a private phone conversation would do.
However, as a viral, slowed-down and zoomed-in video shows, it appeared Suozzi was, in fact, on his messaging app, not his phone app.
Check it out for yourself below, courtesy of the National Republican Congressional Committee:
BUSTED! Two-faced theater kid @Tom_Suozzi caught faking a phone call to dodge questions about the violent LA riots
His Messages app was open on his screen while he pretended to take a “call” – what a deceptive clown pic.twitter.com/s53Gv0gYar
— NRCC (@NRCC) June 16, 2025
“[W]hat a deceptive clown,” the NRCC jabbed.
“Congressman, what do Democrats mean when they said the riots in LA are ‘peaceful’?” the reporter asked, undeterred.
Suozzi continued to walk and talk on his phone, ignoring the question.
“Do you consider throwing rocks at a moving car to be a peaceful act?” the questioner asked.
This prompted a response from Suozzi, though not one the his questioner was likely looking for.
“Ssh,” Suozzi said, lifting his finger to his lips. “I’m on the phone.”
“Enjoy the fake phone call,” a clearly fed-up observer retorted.
As The Daily Caller reported, it’s not clear where this video originated, though it appears to belong to a completely nondescript YouTube account.
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