Matt Gaetz Confronted With Sex Doll During Fundraising Event

Representative Matt Gaetz was confronted with a sex doll at a Florida fundraising event last weekend.

Gaetz was the keynote speaker at the Okaloosa County Republican Party's annual Lincoln Dinner on July 22 in Fort Walton Beach. While delivering remarks, Gaetz was interrupted by Michael Picard, who is known for his trolling stunts.

"Make way!" Picard shouted while running into the event space with a blown-up sex doll. "Matt Gaetz! I got you the underaged girl!"

As Picard was escorted out of the room by security guards, the Florida Republican was heard saying, "This guy's a real piece of s***."

Picard's latest stunt was a nod to allegations that Gaetz had sex with a minor and possibly violated sex trafficking laws for paying the 17-year-old girl to travel with him. Gaetz has denied having sex with anyone underage.

The congressman had previously been part of a broader Justice Department investigation into Joel Greenberg, a political ally of Gaetz's who was indicted on a range of charges, including one for sex-trafficking a 17-year-old girl, in 2021. The two-year investigation ended without charges in February.

Picard, who describes himself as "your friendly neighborhood troll," told Newsweek he targeted Gaetz because he felt there wasn't enough attention on the allegations made against him, especially since the Justice Department's probe has ended.

Representative Matt Gaetz speaks during a House subcommittee hearing titled "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety and Government Transparency" on Wednesday. A self-described troll confronted the Florida Republican with a sex doll at a fundraising event this past Saturday. Drew Angerer/Getty

"The decision not to charge Gaetz is shrouded in secrecy," Picard said. "I think it is important to bring awareness to what elected officials do, and what they are accused of doing, and to have a conversation about whether it is befitting of their office."

Asked about the stunt, Gaetz told Newsweek, "Northwest Floridians naturally have visceral reactions towards weirdos with atrocious physiognomy."

Picard criticized the congressman's response as evasive, saying, "I'm not sure what my physical appearance has to do with the accusations against him, but if politics does not work out for him, he could always start selling ad space on that forehead."

Picard also said that local police asked security to say he was trespassing at the event, which is a civil action and not a crime, and that he is banned from the property for a year.

The dinner, held at the Island Resort at Fort Walton Beach, was raising money for Republican National Committee operations, to get out the Republican vote, to increase GOP voter registration and to elect Republicans at all levels of government, according to the Okaloosa County Republican Party's Facebook page.

Picard uploaded a short clip of his encounter with Gaetz to TikTok and plans to release the full video to his YouTube channel on Sunday. As of Wednesday, his TikTok account has more than 85,000 views.

The provocateur has previously been seen pretending to be a Donald Trump supporter during the former president's April arraignment in Manhattan and antagonizing Blue Lives Matter rallygoers at a protest in 2020. Picard has been represented by the American Civil Liberties Union for his protesting activities.

Update 7/27/2023, 9:35 a.m. ET: This story was updated to include an additional comment from Michael Picard.