Matt Gaetz is adopting strategies reminiscent of George Santos.
The Florida Congressman has swiftly shifted from his role in Congress to marketing personalized videos on Cameo—all in the course of a week.
### From Congress to Cameo
On Friday, Semafor political reporter Kadia Goba was the first to observe that Matt Gaetz had started an official Cameo account. Cameo is a service where celebrities and public figures can offer custom video messages to their fans. Initially, Gaetz set the price for his videos at $250, but he soon increased it to $500. At present, his fee has ascended to $525 per video.
Gaetz has already produced at least two videos, readily available on his Cameo profile. His description on the platform states: “I served in Congress. Trump nominated me to be US Attorney General (that didn’t work out). Once I fired the House Speaker.”
### The Disgraced Congressman-to-Cameo Pipeline
Gaetz’s entry into Cameo follows his resignation from Congress on Nov. 13, shortly after President-elect Donald Trump revealed his nomination of Gaetz for attorney general. The nomination sparked controversy from the outset, as Gaetz was not well-liked even among his own party. He played a significant role in ousting former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2023, which drew considerable backlash.
However, Gaetz’s political trajectory faced even tougher obstacles. A House Ethics Committee investigation was ongoing, probing allegations that Gaetz had engaged in sexual misconduct with a 17-year-old. Concurrently, CNN published a report detailing a second accusation of sexual misconduct involving a minor. These events led Gaetz to withdraw from consideration for the attorney general position. Sources suggest that Trump personally informed Gaetz he did not have the necessary votes in Congress for confirmation.
### Following in George Santos’ Footsteps
Gaetz’s transition to Cameo parallels the post-Congress career path of another troubled Republican, George Santos. Santos was expelled from Congress in late 2023 after numerous federal charges, including wire fraud and identity theft. Shortly after his removal, Santos created a Cameo account, launching his personalized videos for $150. Like Gaetz, Santos quickly increased his prices.
Santos’ Cameo endeavor proved to be extremely lucrative. By February 2024, it was reported that Santos had sold 1,200 videos, amassing $400,000 in just a few months—far exceeding the $174,000 annual salary he earned as a Congressman.
Gaetz’s venture into Cameo appears to follow this profitable pattern, marking a new phase for the controversial former legislator. Whether this shift will be as successful as that of Santos remains to be seen.