Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) has faced widespread condemnation after sharing an internet meme that compared Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) to O.J. Simpson and Spirit Airlines to Simpson’s murdered ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson. The post, shared on Lee’s personal X account “BasedMikeLee,” has since been deleted.
The meme was posted in response to Warren’s previous efforts to block the merger between Spirit Airlines and JetBlue during the Biden administration, after Spirit filed for bankruptcy over the weekend. Lee captioned the image “Nailed it.”
Simpson was acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman in 1995 but was later found civilly liable for their deaths. The post drew immediate backlash, with Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, tweeting: “A murdered mom meme is hysterical, am I right?” Another user called for Lee’s resignation, questioning his mental fitness.
This is not the first time Lee has faced controversy over his social media activity. In 2023, his account was suspended after he appeared to threaten Japan’s prime minister. He also posted a fake resignation letter from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. In 2025, after the killing of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, Lee blamed Governor Tim Walz, prompting condemnation from Minnesota’s senators.
Lee, a Tea Party figure who initially criticised Donald Trump, has since become a Trump ally. His personal attacks on a fellow senator are seen as a breach of Senate decorum, which previously led to criticism of Senator Ted Cruz for calling then-Majority Leader Mitch McConnell a liar. Lee’s home state of Utah, predominantly Republican and Mormon, often values civility in political discourse.
