A middle school student in Florida let her finger do the talking during a photo-op with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) on Monday.
Gaetz shared the image of him visiting with students at Shoal River Middle School in Crestview, Florida, on Facebook.
While many of the students are smiling, waving, dabbing and doing other creative poses, it’s a young lady in the foreground who is getting most of the attention:
Gaetz is an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump with a history of controversial comments.
However, it’s not clear if the girl in the photo is making a statement about his politics or just engaging in an act of youthful rebellion.
Whatever the reason, she may be in hot water. A woman claiming to be her mother apologized on Facebook and said she would be “dealing with” the child at home.
“I have been dealing with her wanting to ‘fit in’ and I promise you, I am livid,” she wrote. “Political views aside, this is completely unacceptable.”
Gaetz appears to be taking it in stride.
“As a middle school student I’m sure I had plenty of lapses in judgment that were far more severe than this one,” he told Northwest Florida Daily News, adding that the photo could be a teaching moment for the student.
“We’ve all been middle schoolers, we all know what the wonder years are like,” he said. “I don’t know if she would choose that particular method in the future, but I’m not really someone who criticizes how they express themselves.”