A wave of bodybuilding-themed videos flooded social media over the weekend as Democrats scrambled to project a tougher image to voters ahead of 2026.
But the effort backfired for Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), who faced widespread ridicule after sharing a laid-back video of himself bench pressing a modest amount of weight. The awkward display echoed similar stunts by other aspiring 2026 contenders, most notably Texas Senate candidate Colin Allred, who filmed himself curling a dumbbell while blasting President Donald Trump over his handling of the Epstein case.
As for Swalwell, it was more of the same left-wing whining he’s known for. “I should be working right now,” Swalwell says to himself in the clip. “I should be at the Capitol. I should be in a suit. Instead, Republicans sent us home because they would rather stand up for Donald Trump than release the Epstein files and stand up for victims.”
Notably, no Democrats clamored for the Biden regime to release information on Epstein over the past four years. Also, as Vice President JD Vance pointed out during a visit to his home state of Ohio on Monday following a question about Epstein from The Associated Press, Democrats also did not hold the Bush and Obama administrations liable for going light on Epstein and then moving on.
The muscle-flexing frenzy appeared to be part of a coordinated strategy, with several Democrats joining in with their own workout-themed videos. U.S. Army veteran Cait Conley, who is running against Republican Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), was featured in a recent clip pressing weights overhead while addressing the affordability crisis in her New York district – an issue made worse during Biden’s four inflationary years.
But it was Swalwell, 44, drew some of the worst scorn for appearing to take it easy for the cameras. “Democrats are trying to attract white male voters. Swalwell at the gym ‘pumping iron’ won’t help,” one user on X wrote. The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh quipped: “If I was a grown man who could only bench 135, you’d never see it on video unless someone secretly recorded it, and even then I would never admit it was me.”
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