A backlash has emerged against the Democrats after a tirade was posted on X from the account of late Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), who died earlier this week.
The post appeared on the X, supposedly from Grijalva, condemning President Donald Trump’s move to slash thousands of jobs at the U.YouTubeS. Department of Education.
The statement, which presented Grijalva’s concerns for education and “social justice,” was published at 3:16 p.m. on Thursday, a few hours after Grijalva died that morning.
The post specifically attacks Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk.
The dead congressman’s official account blasted the president’s decision, accusing Trump of undermining essential student aid programs and protections.
The Arizona representative’s statement on X painted a grim picture, stating:
“26 million students across every school district—rural, suburban and urban—will lose access to critical funding to help them succeed.
“12 million students will lose access to career and technical education, including pathways to good-paying jobs through apprenticeship programs in trades and STEM careers.”
The post emphasized the threat to students from low-income families, adding:
“10 million students from low-income families could lose access to higher education,” and “7.5 million students with Individualized Education Plans will lose access to special education services.”
The post concluded with false claims about Trump and Musk:
“Trump and Musk are prioritizing tax cuts for the wealthy over the future of our students.
“It’s selfish, and it’s illegal.”
The tragic irony of the situation was that Grijalva had already died.
Hours before the anti-Trump post, Grijalva’s family had released a statement confirming that the 77-year-old congressman had succumbed to complications from cancer treatments earlier that morning.
The irony didn’t escape the notice of many, as X users quickly took aim at the Democrats over the post.
Musk himself responded, pointing out, “Whoever wrote the above post is impersonating a deceased Congressman.”
Andy Kaczynski, a conservative-leaning CNN senior politics reporter, replied to Grijalva’s post, writing:
“[A]mazing someone thought to hit the send button after he died on this.”
He later responded to the official statement from the late congressman’s office and wrote:
“[T]otally wild there was a weekend at bernie’s going on here.”
Republican political consultant Joey Mannarino took to X to poke fun at the odd situation.
“This guy was literally dead when his staff wrote this tweet and sent it out for him,” he wrote, adding:
“That’s how fake the Democrat Party is.”
Grijalva, a Democrat, has died after complications from cancer treatment. He was 77.
The longtime lawmaker had recently won re-election to a 12th House term, handily defeating his Republican opponent.
The son of non-English speaking immigrants, Grijalva was known for his strident liberalism, and particularly his advocacy for immigrants and environmentalism.
A special election will be held in Grijalva’s mostly Hispanic district, one of the most heavily Democratic in Arizona.
He is the second House Democrat to die in recent days, after Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-TX) also passed away.
Grijalva had sought another term last year and won, despite lung cancer that forced him to miss hundreds of votes.
He said the election would be his last.
“More than two decades ago, Rep. Grijalva embarked on a journey to be a voice for Southern Arizonans in Washington, D.C,” a statement from his office said.
“Driven by his community values and spirit, he worked tirelessly and accomplished so much — for Arizona and for the country.
“From permanently protecting the Grand Canyon for future generations to strengthening the Affordable Care Act, his proudest moments in Congress have always been guided by community voices,” Grijalva’s office said.
House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) called Grijalva, who served on the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and led the Congressional Progressive Caucus for a decade, a “giant.”
“Congressman Grijalva represented his community fiercely, keeping his constituents and the climate at the center of everything he did,” Jeffries added.
Grijalva entered Congress in 2003 and became known as an early critic of the Iraq War.
Before his career in Washington, Grijalva received a degree in sociology and served on the Pima County Board of Supervisors.
His daughter, Adelita, a current supervisor on the board, called Grijalva the “smartest person I’ll ever know — a fighter until the end.”
He is survived by his wife and three daughters.
https://slaynews.com/news/dead-democrat-congressman-posts-tirade-on-x-attacking-trump-musk/
