Cawthorn invokes Trump in campaign video amid orgy, cocaine comments scandal

Embattled Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) would like to assure everyone that, despite the backlash toward his wild claims of Washington, D.C. orgies and cocaine use, he has every intention of sticking around. Oh, and he's a friend of former President Donald Trump's, lest we forget.
"The radical left, the establishment, and the media want to take me down. Their attacks have been relentless," Cawthorn tweeted Thursday. "I won't stop fighting. I won't bow to the mob. They want to silence the America First movement. I'm not going anywhere."
Cawthorn's message was accompanied by an ad claiming Democrats are "terrified" of Cawthorn because he is "effective," and will "never stop putting America first."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The end of the 30-second spot highlights a photo of Cawthorn and Trump, alongside a quote from the former president: "He has my complete and total endorsement."
Contrary to his messaging, it's not just Democrats that Cawthorn has irked. The lawmaker was recently reprimanded by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) at the behest of angry caucus members, and Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina has opted to back one of Cawthorn's challengers in an upcoming primary. Cast out by many, Cawthorn now seems to be "relying on his ties to Trump to survive," posits CNN's Manu Raju.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
The 9 restaurants to eat at this very moment
The Week Recommends They’re award-winning. Isn’t that reason enough?
-
The UK’s opioid crisis: why the stats don’t add up
The Explainer A new report has revealed that the UK’s total of opioid-related deaths could be much greater than official figures show
-
Gaza genocide: will UN ruling change anything?
Today's Big Question Commission of Inquiry’s findings ‘give unprecedented weight’ to genocide claims
-
Supreme Court: Will it allow Trump’s tariffs?
Feature Justices fast-track Trump’s appeal to see if his sweeping tariffs are unconstitutional
-
Venezuela: Was Trump’s air strike legal?
Feature A Trump-ordered airstrike targeted a speedboat off the coast of Venezuela, killing all 11 passengers on board
-
3 killed in Trump’s second Venezuelan boat strike
Speed Read Legal experts said Trump had no authority to order extrajudicial executions of noncombatants
-
Is Kash Patel’s fate sealed after Kirk shooting missteps?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The FBI’s bungled response in the immediate aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting has director Kash Patel in the hot seat
-
Russian drone tests Romania as Trump spins
Speed Read Trump is ‘resisting congressional plans to impose newer and tougher penalties on Russia’s energy sector’
-
Trump renews push to fire Cook before Fed meeting
Speed Read The push to remove Cook has ‘quickly become the defining battle in Trump’s effort to take control of the Fed’
-
Will Donald Trump’s second state visit be a diplomatic disaster?
Today's Big Question Charlie Kirk shooting, Saturday’s far-right rally and continued Jeffrey Epstein fallout ramps-up risks of already fraught trip
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-war
Talking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’