Earlier this year, conservative activist and social media sensation Ben Bergquam delivered a moment of political theater that had liberals squirming and conservatives cheering. Outside a New York City courthouse during the contentious Trump trial, Bergquam confronted MSNBC host Joy Reid with pointed questions that left her visibly rattled.
Armed with his signature wit and a camera, Bergquam approached Reid on the street and asked, “Joy, just wondering, do you think people with Trump Derangement Syndrome know they have it?” The question, a playful jab at the obsessive anti-Trump rhetoric common in liberal media circles, appeared to catch Reid off guard. Her response? A curt, “You’re an idiot.”
But Bergquam wasn’t finished. He followed up with a cheeky observation, comparing Reid’s hairstyle to Donald Trump’s iconic look: “And second question, did you steal Trump’s haircut, or did he steal yours?” Reid, now visibly irritated, fired back with a profanity-laden insult, calling him a “f*****g idiot.”
Unfazed, Bergquam kept his cool and continued to troll Reid, accusing her of “cultural appropriation” for sporting what he humorously dubbed a “Trump-inspired” hairstyle. “Cultural appropriation haircut right there,” Bergquam quipped as Reid walked away. “She didn’t like that too much. Joy Reid, everybody. Trump Derangement Syndrome, full swing.”
The video quickly went viral after Bergquam shared it on X (formerly Twitter), captioning it, “EPIC video! Just got Trump-Deranged, Cultural-Appropriated-Hair, Joy Ann Reid as she was heading into the sham Trump trial in New York City! 😂😂😂 I don’t think she liked the questions!!!”
The clip sparked a wave of online reactions from conservatives. Popular account Citizen Free Press even joked that Bergquam’s encounter might have prompted Reid to reconsider her hairstyle. “The world owes Ben Bergquam a debt of gratitude,” the account wrote, tongue-in-cheek.
Fast forward to the aftermath of President-elect Donald Trump’s landslide victory in the 2024 election, and it seems Reid’s frustrations haven’t subsided. During a post-election broadcast, Reid sat down with progressive darling Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) to dissect the Democrats’ stunning defeat. Still reeling, Reid admitted, “It makes no sense,” before turning to AOC for answers.
Ocasio-Cortez, in a moment of unintended humor, blamed voter apathy rather than Trump’s appeal. “It’s important to note that Democrats oftentimes, when we lose elections, we think that we lost people to Trump, and that is true in circumstances. But they don’t look enough at the fact that we also lost people to the couch,” she explained.
For conservatives, the juxtaposition couldn’t be clearer: a party of working Americans rallying behind Trump versus Democrats struggling to inspire their own voters off their couches. Bergquam’s viral confrontation with Reid and the Democrats’ post-election hand-wringing underscore a recurring theme: while the left fixates on Trump, conservatives focus on connecting with everyday Americans.
The lesson is simple. As the left continues to lash out, the right is staying the course, and the results speak for themselves. Whether on the campaign trail or outside a courthouse, conservatives are unafraid to call out the hypocrisy — and have a little fun while doing it.
