‘The plan to rebuild Europe after WWII?’: Matt Gaetz double confirms he didn’t deserve respect long before he violated Florida’s statutory rape law

Matt Gaetz‘s career mostly consists of controversy and crying about how bad government authority got under Democratic rule. And his latest “expert” take on X is no exception.

The former congressman wanted to compare how Americans reacted to Fauci’s pandemic restrictions to how South Koreans reacted when their president imposed martial law. But instead of offering insights into South Korea’s situation, Gaetz managed to misspell martial law as “Marshall Law.” Yes, this man was supposed to be an attorney general. It’s understandable, though. If you have to use a thesaurus and spend an hour writing a two-sentence X post, you can’t really pay attention to details. Don’t worry; X users were here to correct Gaetz with a Community Note.

South Korea's president instituted Marshall Law for a day and they're trying to arrest him.

Fauci basically instituted Marshall Law for months.

— Former Congressman Matt Gaetz (@FmrRepMattGaetz) January 3, 2025

Are you really Matt Gaetz? How does a former US Congress member not know that it’s martial law, not Marshall Law? What would Marshall Law be, exactly? Part of the plan to rebuild Europe after WWII? 🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/aqCHTnqQf0

— Jana Quam🌻 (@JanaQuamSD) January 3, 2025

Gaetz’s illiteracy, although very funny, is not the issue here. There’s a bigger problem in Gaetz’s tendency to twist the truth. Fauci’s role during the COVID-19 pandemic was advisory, grounded in science, and the goal was to mitigate a public health crisis. Unlike martial law, which suspends democratic norms and civil rights, Fauci’s advisory role operated under the support of constitutional government. Also, Fauci was not the one who implemented restrictions. He advocated for mask mandates, social distancing, and vaccination campaigns, but state and local governments implemented the policies.

Gaetz’s “Marshall Law” moment might be laughable on its surface, but it’s a sign of a bigger issue: rhetoric over factual accuracy. Fortunately, X users are here to take us away from the rabbit hole of trying to explain Matt Gaetz’s existence. MAGA illiteracy always makes for good memes, but this is particularly true with Gaetz. The fact that he needs to go back to school and is facing allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor is just uncanny.

Marshall Law

I’d say he needs to go back to high school but we all know he shouldn’t be within 1,000 yards of children. pic.twitter.com/83SDWBQcqz

— Kyle (@SonOfUhGunn) January 3, 2025

THIS IS MARSHALL LAW. What you are failing to explain is Martial Law. You are stupid. this is why nobody speaks highly of you. this is why you are Matt Gaetz and everyone makes fun of you. https://t.co/4Od47j6iCc pic.twitter.com/ZAJWzdxEm6

— amazinstation. (@LBP_TK) January 3, 2025

When did Fauci institute martial law?
Not “Marshall law” @mattgaetz you fucking idiot! pic.twitter.com/8SeUVwBsKY

— Joe G (@EastEndJoe) January 3, 2025

There’s one thing we can celebrate in the case of Matt Gaetz. He won’t be returning to Congress. As long as he is out of politics, he can spew nonsense on X all he wants. We take comfort in the fact that Community Notes is always here to humble Gaetz.