It’s rather disheartening when a sidelined House member resorts to attention-seeking antics, and on Monday, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) brilliantly showcased this with an exceptionally awkward attempt. 

In a poorly conceived TikTok video, Swalwell aims to mock President Donald Trump by munching on a taco. The reasoning behind this “joke” will be explained shortly, but even without context, the overwhelming social blunder is evident. 

Imagine being the staffer who had to film this. 

(Warning: Language)

What a douche pic.twitter.com/qCLrX9e5LO

— Karli Bonne’ 🇺🇸 (@KarluskaP) June 2, 2025

Here we have yet another member of Congress caught up in the trend of using profanity to appear relatable and trendy. Despite this, when a voice behind the camera inquires, “Why the **** is Trump always chickening out on tariffs,” Swalwell struggles with picking up his taco as it clings to the wrapping. After he finally manages, he takes a sizable bite, causing tomatoes to spill out. With a second bite, the taco completely disintegrates. The whole scene is accompanied by peculiar 1950s-style sitcom music, maximizing its potential for ridicule. 

So what’s this about? There was a report that some Wall Street types were calling Trump “TACO” as an acronym for “Trump always chickens out” regarding tariffs. A reporter then asked the president about it, and he didn’t appreciate the question, to put it lightly.