Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee is running a personal Twitter account by the handle @BasedMikeLee that posts memes and political commentary, often accompanied with Gen Z internet slang.
The account has garnered more than 15,000 followers since it was opened in July, and Lee’s office confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation that the account is not a parody but is a personal account which Lee runs himself. The account posts a mix of serious political commentary, jokes and memes and has more followers than his official verified account.
The term “based,” popularized on Twitter, is the opposite of “woke” and is generally used as a compliment for a conservative person or idea.
I’m taller than @RandPaul.
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) July 24, 2022
“I’m taller than @RandPaul,” he wrote in one tweet.
“I’m free to tweet whatever I want,” he wrote in another tweet. “My hands are not tied. Just like @aoc in imaginary handcuffs.”
The haters can’t handle this frickin’ smoke
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) July 24, 2022
The account drew attention from The Salt Lake Tribune, which originally reported the story, after Lee linked to @BasedMikeLee tweets from his personal Facebook account and used language similar to those tweets in a fundraising email. (RELATED: Must-Pass Government Funding Bill Hits GOP Roadblocks In The Senate)
“The haters can’t handle this frickin’ smoke,” he wrote in one post.
This account is no cap — bussin, forreal forreal https://t.co/sMJDQ4yiRS
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) July 24, 2022
Some of the account’s tweets use slang popular among young internet users, such as a July 24 post which read “This account is no cap — bussin, forreal forreal.”
Lee mocked Prince Harry from the account after his United Nations speech in which he criticized the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Wasn’t it with good reason that we decided to stop listening to royals in 1776?
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) July 24, 2022
“Love being lectured on democracy by an actual prince,” he wrote. “Wasn’t it with good reason that we decided to stop listening to royals in 1776?”
Lee has also used the account to comment on political events such as the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago Monday, which he suggested was a politically-motivated abuse of power. He posted a lengthy thread of questions he had for the FBI including whether Attorney General Merrick Garland signed off on the raid and why a search warrant was sought rather than a subpoena.
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