Welcome back to Barf Bag.
Weeks after President Donald Trump suggested that children should be less materialistic if his tariffs result in higher toy prices, a GOP Senator chose to remind voters of their own mortality during a conversation about healthcare cuts. These are the world’s worst mindfulness influencers.
At a town hall on Friday morning, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) faced constituents angry over her support for Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” that would cut Medicaid and SNAP food assistance. The House passed a bill last week that, if approved by the Senate, could result in 8 million to 15 million people losing their insurance thanks to work requirements and the end of assistance to pay monthly premiums. (The bill also attacks insurance coverage of abortion and gender-affirming care.)
As Ernst answered questions about the proposed cuts, she said the Senate would make its own changes in order to remove from Medicaid “‘illegals‘ that are receiving Medicaid benefits” and able-bodied adults who are not working. Fact check: Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for Medicaid, even though many pay taxes to help fund the program.
One woman shouted at the stage, “People will die!” And Ernst responded, “People are not—well, we all are going to die, so for heaven’s sake.” The audience rightfully jeered.
Yes, she started her reply by saying that people are not going to die from the bill, but then paused and pivoted to remind the audience that, actually, everyone dies from something and that they shouldn’t be so ridiculous.
Here’s a clip:
GOP Sen. Joni Ernst responds to voters saying that cutting Medicaid will kill them: “Well, we all are going to die.”
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen.bsky.social) 2025-05-30T14:27:21.762Z
Importantly, Ernst is running for re-election next year, which is why some speculated that she voted for the obviously unqualified Pete Hegseth to be Defense Secretary in January, lest she face a GOP primary challenge.
Someone who (reportedly) made such a calculated voting decision a few months ago not to piss off Trump or erstwhile election-funder Elon Musk just blurted out that people worried about their families, friends, and neighbors dying prematurely from a lack of healthcare are being hyperbolic.
It’s often said that the Republican party is a death cult, and Ernst’s comments are just the latest example.
Free plane Too Big:
"My bribe plane is too big." www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025…
— Jonathan Cohn (@jonathancohn.bsky.social) 2025-05-28T21:44:15.537Z
Trump-related barf:
- Not beating the death cult allegations: The Trump administration canceled a nearly $800 million contract for Moderna to develop vaccines for potential pandemic flu viruses, including the H5N1 bird flu. [Associated Press]
- Katie Miller, wife of white supremacist goblin Stephen Miller, left her job at the Department of Government Efficiency this week to go work for Elon Musk full time. In what I’m sure is totally unrelated news, the New York Times has gossip about Musk’s drug use on the campaign trail. [The Independent/NYT]
- Speaking of Miller, he and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem are demanding that ICE arrest 3,000 immigrants per day. [Axios]
- HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. threatened to ban federal researchers from publishing in top medical journals like The Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine, which he claimed were “corrupt.” [Politico]
- Trump’s birthday military parade, I mean the Army‘s 250th anniversary parade, will kick an annual Vietnam veterans’ ceremony out of Washington D.C. for the first time in 30 years. [Washington Post]
- Headline: “Trump tells West Point graduates to avoid ‘trophy wives‘ in commencement speech” [USA Today]
Non-Trump barf:
- Sen. John Fetterman (“D”-Pa.) said he was shamed into actually showing up to his job and claims that people have “weaponized” his openness about his mental health struggles. [New York Times]
- Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a 2028 contender who has been playing nice with Trump, said she’s “very Disappointed” that he might pardon the men who plotted to kidnap her. [NBC News]
- Florida Rep. Byron Donalds (R), who is running for Governor, made stock trades close to Trump’s tariff announcements. [NOTUS]
- Tesla sales have tanked in Europe, partially due to “brand damage.” [CNBC]
This has been your weekly Barf Bag, thanks for reading!
GET JEZEBEL RIGHT IN YOUR INBOX
Still here. Still without airbrushing. Still with teeth.
