Senator Amy Klobuchar, who is running for governor of Minnesota, faced online criticism this week for repeatedly using the same photograph in social media posts supporting the Minnesota Vikings. Critics pointed to the repeated use of the image, which Klobuchar posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday with the caption, "Game Day against the Packers. Time to get out the shirt."
Conservative commentators on social media quickly noted that Klobuchar had shared the same photo, cropped differently, in previous years. This reuse of the image led some users to accuse the gubernatorial hopeful of being out of touch and inauthentic.
Dustin Grage, a columnist for Townhall, posted on X that Klobuchar "has now used the exact same photo to ring in the Vikings season opener four years in a row." He added, "So authentic."
Riley Gaines, a conservative commentator, stated on X, "Dems trying to appeal to normal people in a nutshell lol." She also noted that Klobuchar's caption this year, "time to get out the shirt," seemed disingenuous given the photo's repeated use.
Matthew Boyle, Breitbart's Washington Bureau Chief, commented on X that Klobuchar "has been a fraud for a lot longer than she has been reusing this photograph." Another user, identified as Minnesota Staff Fraud Reporting Commentary on X, called Klobuchar "the most inauthentic, plastic politician you will ever have the misfortune of encountering."
Josh Holmes, co-host of the Ruthless podcast, offered a brief "lol" on X in response to the posts. Bernadette Breslin, national press secretary for the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), tweeted, "The fraud runs deep in Minnesota."
Former Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh also commented on X, suggesting Klobuchar "has only ever had one Vikings t-shirt and there’s only one photo in existence of her actually wearing it."
Klobuchar is running against Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth in November to replace outgoing Democratic Governor Tim Walz. The criticism over the reused photo comes as Klobuchar has faced scrutiny from conservatives regarding a significant fraud scandal in Minnesota that has unfolded over the past decade. Klobuchar has defended her record by outlining plans for a comprehensive audit of state agencies if elected governor.