Gretchen Whitmer stokes backlash for viral video appearing to mock Eucharist with Dorito
Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer raised eyebrows for a video that went viral on social media Thursday and appeared to show her offering a Dorito to a feminist podcaster as if it were the Eucharist.
How else can this be interpreted other than mockery of Catholics and the sacrament of Holy Communion, not to mention the distasteful pornographic innuendo? Gretchen Whitmer is only the latest example of the gross anti-Catholic bigotry festering inside the Democratic Party. pic.twitter.com/KG1BmHYkJM
— CatholicVote (@CatholicVote) October 10, 2024
The video, which was posted on Canadian author and journalist Liz Plank's "feministabulous" Instagram, depicts Whitmer feeding a Dorito chip to a kneeling Plank and gazing into the camera while wearing a "Harris-Walz" hat.
Plank, who heads an influencer group dubbed "Hotties For Harris," also interviewed Whitmer, during which the two joked about the idea of Whitmer's two daughters receiving a "post-birth abortion." Whitmer laughed at the term, claiming "there's no such thing."
The Dorito video went viral on X, prompting backlash from many Roman Catholics and other Christians who accused the governor of mocking the sacrament in a "vaguely pornographic way" while exhibiting the alleged anti-Catholic bigotry within the Democratic Party.
"How else can this be interpreted other than mockery of Catholics and the sacrament of Holy Communion, not to mention the distasteful pornographic innuendo?" the nonprofit CatholicVote wrote. "Gretchen Whitmer is only the latest example of the gross anti-Catholic bigotry festering inside the Democratic Party."
"Are they mocking what I think they are mocking?" tweeted actress Patricia Heaton, who is Catholic.
"Whitmer is the Satanic priestess of abortion with no limits, and Feministabulous revels in the unholy communion," wrote Post Millennial editor-in-chief Libby Emmons. "I'm sure they think it's super cute and just a big laugh."
"Let’s be clear what’s happening in this video," wrote Trump adviser Tim Murtaugh. "Gov. Whitmer of Michigan is pretending to give communion to a leftist podcaster on her knees, using a Dorito as the Eucharist while wearing a Harris-Walz hat."
"Do they want ZERO Catholic votes for Harris?" he added.
"A dem governor, in both a vaguely religious and pornographic way, hand feeding a dorito to a liberal journalist famous for covering all the isms is a perfect summary of our establishment elites," wrote Daily Caller editor-in-chief Geoffrey Ingersoll.
Many other users dubbed the video "weird," in an apparent reference to the word Democrats have used to criticize vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, and Republicans generally.
A source close to Whitmer reportedly claimed the video was not intended to provoke Catholics, but was instead piggy-backing off a viral TikTok trend where people feed each other.
Whitmer's office did not respond to The Christian Post's request for comment, but one of her political aides said "the governor’s social media is well known for infusing her communications with pop culture," according to Fox News Digital.
"This popular trend has been used by countless people, including Billie Eilish, Kylie Jenner, and Stephen Colbert, and the fact that people are paying attention to a video promoting President Biden’s CHIPS Act proves it’s working," the aide told the outlet.
"Republicans want to distract from the fact that Democrats have invested billions of dollars into local economies to create a record number of jobs and bring supply chains back from overseas, while Donald Trump’s policies would kill these jobs and send them back to China."
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to [email protected]