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‘Poisoning Young Minds’: Democratic Rep Wants To Ban Teens From Wearing MAGA Hats, Says He Was Joking

SHUTTERSTOCK/ John M. Chase

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Neetu Arnold Contributor
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House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth called for banning teens from wearing Make America Great Again (MAGA) hats after a video circulated on social media of an encounter between some Kentucky high school boys and an American Indian group after the March for Life rally Friday.

After facing criticism on Twitter, he mentioned it was an “obvious joke.”

“I am calling for a total and complete shutdown of teenagers wearing MAGA hats until we can figure out what is going on,” Yarmuth posted Sunday on Twitter. “They seem to be poisoning young minds.”

Yarmuth, a Democratic representative from Kentucky, also blamed President Donald Trump for the allegedly negative behavior displayed in a separate tweet.

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“The conduct we saw in this video is beyond appalling, but it didn’t happen in a vacuum,” another tweet by the chairman said. “This is a direct result of the racist hatred displayed daily by the President of the United States who, sadly, some mistake for a role model.”

His language mocked Trump’s own rhetoric, as the then-candidate used “total and complete shutdown” when referring to Muslim individuals entering the U.S. in 2015 until lawmakers could come to a solution to issues he cited at the time. Trump also uses the word “sadly” often.

Yarmuth’s response comes after a video of Covington Catholic High School boys were seen chanting as American Indian Nathan Phillips was banging a drum. The kids were wearing MAGA hats.

A person recording one of the videos said the boy face-to-face with Phillips appeared to be smiling while others allegedly mocked the American Indian prayer, CNN reported.

Phillips said he was trying to escape from the group.

“What the young man was doing was blocking my escape,” Phillips said, according to CNN. “I wanted to leave.”

Many condemned the behavior, but critics pointed out the video was not given in the full context. A nearly two-hour YouTube video shows Phillips approaching the students.

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The Diocese of Covington along with the high school issued an apology to Phillips on Saturday.

“The matter is being investigated and we will take appropriate action, up to and including expulsion,” the statement said. (RELATED: Federal Employees Told To Leave The MAGA Hats And Resist T-Shirts At Home)

Yarmuth did not immediately respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment. The school could not be reached for comment.

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