President Donald Trump threw a tantrum over Democratic congressional candidate Aftyn Behn in a social media post, urging voters to back the Republican contender, Matt Van Epps, in Tuesday’s special House election.
“I am asking all America First Patriots in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, who haven’t voted yet, to please GET OUT AND VOTE on Election Day, Tuesday, December 2nd, for a phenomenal Candidate, Matt Van Epps,” Trump wrote Sunday on Truth Social.
Trump made heaps of claims about Behn and accused her of being “a woman who hates Christianity” who will “take away your guns, wants Open Borders, Transgender for everybody, men in women’s sports, and openly disdains Country music.”
“She said all of these things precisely, and without question — IT’S ON TAPE! Do not take this Race for granted,” he continued.
The president then scolded the “Radical Left Democrats” for “spending a fortune to beat” Van Epps, whom he called “one of the best Candidates we’ve ever had.”
“You can win this Election for Matt,” he added. “GET OUT AND VOTE FOR MATT VAN EPPS, who has my Complete and Total Endorsement — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”
Behn, a state representative, is running against Van Epps, an ex-commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services, to represent Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District after former Rep. Mark Green (R) resigned from his seat earlier this year.
Trump’s post came after Behn was widely slammed over comments she made in 2020 while hosting an episode of the podcast “Grits” on the Tennessee Holler Podcast Network.
In the episode, Behn said, “I’ve been heavily involved in the Nashville mayoral race because I hate this city, I hate the bachelorettes, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music.”
She added, “I hate all the things that make Nashville apparently an ‘it city’ to the rest of the country.”
On Monday, Behn responded to Trump’s Truth Social post in a statement to Newsweek.
“President Trump is saying all these things because he doesn’t have a plan to address the rising cost of health care and to ensure that working Tennesseans are able to afford health care, groceries and utilities,” Behn told the outlet.
Behn’s campaign manager Kate Briefs also addressed the backlash over the candidate’s comments in a statement to WZTV Fox 17 Nashville.
Briefs said “Republicans are panicking” due to their “last-ditch attempt” of “distracting from the fact that Washington Republicans and Matt Van Epps are raising costs on Tennessee families and ripping away their health care.”
“Aftyn Behn will lower Tennessee families’ costs and make groceries more affordable by eliminating the state’s grocery tax,” Briefs added.