A congressional hopeful made the internet go bananas when he mixed the term “banana republic” with the clothing retail chain while shading President Joe Biden’s mental astuteness.
Bo Hines, 26, who recently won the Republican nod to represent North Carolina’s swing 13th Congressional District and has been backed by former President Donald Trump, made the comment on the John Fredericks Radio Show during a discussion about the raid on Trump’s lavish Mar-a-Lago resort.
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“A lot of people have likened the situation that’s going on right now is, you know, they say we’re in a Banana Republic. I think that’s an insult to Banana Republics across the country. I mean, at least the manager of Banana Republic, unlike our president, knows where he is and why he’s there and what he’s doing,” Hines said.
In this live interview just last Friday, it appears that the @BoHines kiddo, Republican running for Congress in #NC13, does not understand what a “banana republic” is. He honestly thinks everyone’s referring to the clothing retail chain.
Didn’t he go to Yale? 😬🤔 #ncpol pic.twitter.com/FjfEiEx3M6
— Carolina Forward (@ForwardCarolina) August 15, 2022
Hines’s remarks came in response to a question from host John Fredericks, who asked if the young congressional hopeful would be willing to defund the FBI — an initiative that has gained traction in conservative circles following the raid on Mar-a-Lago last week.
“I mean, we have to. I mean, we’re at a point in our country now where we have an unregulated fourth branch of government that’s targeting middle-class Americans on a daily basis. I mean, it’s unbelievable, what we’re seeing,” Hines responded.
A representative for Hines argued he was joking during the exchange.
“This is a stretch for any serious candidate to try and make an issue. It’s clear now that the American people can add ‘understand a joke’ to the ever-growing list of things Democrats simply can’t comprehend; alongside the economy, public safety, education, and foreign policy,” campaign official Rob Burgess told the Washington Examiner.
The term “banana republic” refers to countries that have corrupt and typically dictatorial governments. It dates back to a 1901 tale by O. Henry. The clothing chain with the name Banana Republic was founded in 1978.
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Last week, plainclothes FBI agents executed a search and seizure operation at Trump’s Palm Beach resort and reportedly retrieved roughly 20 boxes of material, seeking classified materials. The raid sparked a firestorm from many conservative and Trump-aligned politicos. Authorities recovered a bevy of items marked “secret,” “top secret,” and “confidential,” per a search warrant in the case unsealed last week.
Hines handily defeated his closest rival in the GOP primary election for the 13th Congressional District earlier this year.
