Matt Gaetz: podcast appearances and interviews

Matthew Louis Gaetz II is an American politician, lawyer, and political commentator. He served as the U.S. representative for Florida's 1st congressional district from 2017 until his resignation in 2024. His district encompassed all of Escambia, Okaloosa, and Santa Rosa counties, as well as parts of Walton County. Gaetz is a member of the Republican Party and describes himself as a libertarian populist. He is considered a supporter of far-right politics and an ally of Donald Trump. In October 2023, Gaetz filed a motion to vacate that resulted in the removal of Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. He is the son of Florida politician Don Gaetz and grandson of North Dakota politician Jerry Gaetz. Raised in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Gaetz graduated from William & Mary Law School. After working briefly in private practice, he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2010, serving until 2016. During his time in the state legislature, he gained national attention for defending Florida's stand-your-ground law. Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2016, he was re-elected in subsequent years. In 2020, Gaetz faced accusations of child sex trafficking and statutory rape. The U.S. Department of Justice decided not to charge him after an investigation. However, a December 2024 report from the House Ethics Committee found evidence that Gaetz paid for sex, including with a 17-year-old, and abused illegal drugs during his tenure. The report did not find sufficient evidence of sex trafficking as defined by law. Following President-elect Donald Trump's announcement in November 2024 to nominate Gaetz as U.S. attorney general, Gaetz resigned from Congress and later withdrew from consideration for the position. He started hosting The Matt Gaetz Show, a political talk show on One America News Network, in January 2025.