Tomi Lahren, a former host with Glenn Beck’s TheBlaze and a Fox News contributor, has been a popular punching bag for progressives and the left for more than a year, all while branding herself as an all-American, red-white-and-blue-drenched conservative personality. For Halloween this year, however, she may have taken that patriotic aesthetic too far, and it’s drawing a lot of fire on social media.
Lahren’s critics have several arguments to make about why this costume is not so hot. In the first place, Lahren has been an outspoken critic of NFL players who’ve protested during the national anthem, accusing them of disrespecting the flag, and the United States Flag Code—which states that the flag is not to be worn as clothing.
Then there’s the combination of the American flag with the Trump campaign slogan “Make America Great Again,” which conflates the patriotism towards the country with adulation towards its particular leader at the moment.
And finally, there’s the fact that the whole thing is a bit of an eyesore. Strike three? Suffice to say there’s been no shortage of reactions, especially since she posted a photo of herself wearing the getup on Instagram Saturday night, just a few days shy of Halloween.
For Halloween, Tomi Lahren dressed as a Flag Code Violation. pic.twitter.com/Ur24U6v2uB
— Nick Jack Pappas (@Pappiness) October 29, 2017
https://twitter.com/zachheltzel/status/924501004468436992
https://twitter.com/eveewing/status/924482710222946305
I bet Tomi Lahren is exhausted and hates herself
— Alie Ward (@alieward) October 29, 2017
https://twitter.com/saraschaefer1/status/924465266070839296
If @TomiLahren wants to wear something that will show everybody just how super-patriotic she is, she should enlist in the military. https://t.co/Pu6rryguRB
— Jon Zal (@jon_zal) October 29, 2017
Nice fanny pack, Tammy. pic.twitter.com/BBNS5nlr4B
— shauna (@goldengateblond) October 29, 2017
US Flag Code Title 36, Ch 10: §176(d): The flag should never be used as…apparel…nor drawn back in folds"@TomiLahren: hold my beer pic.twitter.com/kuCM10PnN4
— feminist next door (@emrazz) October 29, 2017
How do I block Tomi Lahren pics from my timeline?
— Matt Dawson (@SaintRPh) October 29, 2017
It’s worth noting that at least one prominent liberal commentator flew way too close to the sun in taking a shot at Lahren. Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann attacked Lahren for committing a violation of the U.S. Flag Code, despite the fact that he’s literally huddled on the ground with a flag wrapped around him on the cover of his new book.
Patriotic? Bullshit. She’s in violation of the U.S. Flag Code: “The flag should never be used as wearing apparel…” https://t.co/2cOKCE87Wy https://t.co/fGkmqMxZaZ
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) October 29, 2017
. @KeithOlbermann wants to attack @TomiLahren for wearing a flag, but forgot about his own book cover 🙄 pic.twitter.com/FnYNFrSrJX
— Brian Flood (@briansflood) October 29, 2017
If the name of the game was simply to generate attention and awareness regardless of who might be offended, it’s hard to deny that Lahren’s costume was a success. Of course, the same could be said of those same NFL protests she has so frequently criticized.