Former Rep. Matt Gaetz accidentally exposed his wealth while asking for his mom’s advice on how to deal with Donald Trump. His text messages with his mother were leaked, showing how he boasted about having “$500,000 in the bank.”
The conversation was leaked by a TikTok user by the name tidesofmarch, who was at the same flight as Gaetz. The 72-second clip filmed his entire text chain with his mom, thanks to his zoomed-in screen that made the words appear larger.
“POV: You’re sitting behind Matt Gaetz and he’s texting his mommy,” the TikTok user uploaded the clip with this caption. As the Former Rep. complained about dealing with the President, his mother, Vicky Gaetz, gave a dire warning.
“Don’t be criticizing the President or his actions. He’s trying to keep us safe. That’s his job. MAGA will turn on you. You will lose viewership,” she said.
“Your days in congress are over … let’s not mess up the media gig,” Vicky continued referring to his new start as the host of The Matt Gaetz Show on One America News Network.
The former Florida Congressman’s mother continued, “the President has been a very good friend to you. He hates betrayal. Be smart, not stubborn.” In response, Gaetz insisted, “I’m trying to guide him, not criticize him.”
“I’ve never been freer to share my views – and I’ll continue to do so. I think about the people who cheered for the Iraq war because they liked Bush. Those people have blood on their hands.”
there’s a girl who sat behind matt gaetz on a flight and she made a tiktok of the text exchange he had with his mom 💀 pic.twitter.com/uPKIobN1oe
— not now (@aedionwinter) June 24, 2025
Vicky Gaetz smelled danger so she tried to further warn Matt that he should not try to guide someone like Trump. “Guiding DJT always includes a private and public component…I know how to do it,“ he instead insisted.
As the conversation got intense, his mother brought out the big guns. “How many times do you want to hit the wall?“ she wrote. Gaetz’s reply was filled with pride and boasting.
“I’m a happily married man with a son on the way, two penthouse condos, a 1:1 real estate asset to debt ratio … and $500k in my bank account cash,“ he boasted.
While on the topic of Iran, he further claimed the Islamic Republic has “been 3 months away from a nuke since 1992.”
Apparently someone sitting behind me on a flight recorded me without my knowledge.
They found me texting my mother about news of the day, family finances, and working on my laptop.
Please let this be a reminder to everyone to CALL YOUR MOTHER!
(and maybe get a screen…
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) June 24, 2025
The TikTok video since went viral, prompting Gaetz to launch a response on X. “Apparently someone sitting behind me on a flight recorded me without my knowledge. They found me texting my mother about news of the day, family finances, and working on my laptop,“ he wrote in a light-hearted manner.
“Please let this be a reminder to everyone to CALL YOUR MOTHER! (and maybe get a screen protector),“ Gaetz sprinkled some humor.
An X user asked him why he needs those giant-sized text, to which, Matt explained, “My eyesight has gotten very poor in recent years.”
Last year, Donald Trump tapped him to become attorney general, but the nomination was withdrawn after he got embroiled in a bunch of allegations, including paying women for sex and having an affair with a minor.
