'Weak and insecure': Rep. Ted Lieu mocks Trump after he demands 'respect' for the president
![Ted Lieu (L) is a staunch critic of President Donald Trump (R), who has repeatedly questioned his fitness to hold office. (Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photos by Michael M. Santiago [L] and Anna Moneymaker [R])](https://media.gomcgill.com/808531/uploads/44336fe0-7322-11f1-bad1-2f9cf279bd7e_1200_630.jpeg)
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) is not having any of President Donald Trump's demand for respect, reminding his followers that one of the most effective ways to push back against an authoritarian is to mock him. "Trump is so weak and insecure he is now demanding our respect. So I'm sending him my favorite picture below. Feel free to retweet and send your favorite picture or video to @realDonaldTrump," he wrote on X, alongside an image of the 80-year-old appearing to be asleep.
In a separate post, Lieu — one of Trump's staunchest critics — told the president to "cry harder," adding: "Also, did you know dumb is spelled with a 'b'?" His remarks came after Trump demanded respect for his office at the Faith and Freedom Coalition policy conference. "If you don't respect the president, you're going to have a problem. You're going to have a problem. They had no respect," he had said.
Indeed. And it's especially fine not to respect presidents who disrespect their office, their oath of office, the Constitution and laws they swore to uphold, honor, decency, morality, truth, humanity, and everything we should be striving ourselves and teaching our children to… https://t.co/RXkSQfh46I
— George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸 (@gtconway3d) June 27, 2026
Lieu was not alone in his censure. Former tennis legend Martina Navratilova fired back with a succinct "Respect is earned, not given." This was echoed by CNN's Chief Political Analyst David Axelrod, who argued respect cannot be "required or coerced". In his conference speech, Trump joked that he would make the best communist, before asserting that "communism doesn't work and would destroy the United States." This is after he characterized candidates backed by New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani as "hardcore, godless communists."
In a democracy, respect for presidents is earned, not required or coerced. https://t.co/6FeQ9gEHHl
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) June 27, 2026
The 80-year-old covered several topics during the nearly hour-long speech, from the need to pass the SAVE America Act — which he framed as a measure to restore election integrity by requiring voter ID and proof of citizenship — to his claim that religion has made a comeback in America under his second term. "From the very beginning of our country, American Greatness has been forged by people of Faith. It was faith that strengthened the Minutemen who stood up at Lexington Green and Concord Bridge," he averred.
This is pretty hard to square with everything he’s said about pretty much all the previous presidents — including when many of them were presidents. And the vast majority of people who applaud this are surely hypocrites too. It’s fine not to respect presidents. They work for us. https://t.co/WMduIVSGfT
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) June 27, 2026
It is not the first time Lieu has taken aim at Trump. He most recently challenged the president to produce proof that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was the result of vandalism rather than shoddy workmanship by vendors awarded no-bid contracts. "I guarantee there are no pictures as Trump described. Because if there were, Trump would be holding them and shoving the pictures in our faces," he wrote in response to a clip of a press conference in which Trump claimed to have photographic evidence.
