Matt Gaetz’s Very Private Texts to Mom About Donald Trump, Iran Nuclear Conflict Exposed on Flight

A TikTok user sitting behind controversial former Florida House Representative Matt Gaetz on a flight recorded a private text conversation between the ex-congressman and his mother, revealing his complicated relationship with President Donald Trump and his perhaps surprising political views on Iran and other topics.

Gaetz's texts were recorded by a fellow passenger as Gaetz scrolled through messages between him and his mom.

In the texts his mother appears to caution him against criticizing Trump publicly with regard to the Israel-Iran conflict, warning him that MAGA will "turn on you."

"Guiding DJT always includes a private and public component. I know how to do it," Gaetz texts.

"Don't mess up the media gig," his mother writes, referring to Gaetz's OAN show The Matt Gaetz Show, which began airing in January 2025, just months after Gaetz resigned from Congress before being sworn in and stepped down from Trump's attorney general nomination.

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"The president has been a very good friend to you. He hates betrayal. Be smart, not stubborn," she continues.

Gaetz responds that he's trying to "guide" Trump, not criticize him, and that he thinks about the people who "cheered the Iraq war because they liked Bush" because they "have blood on their hands."

Gaetz then texts his mother that "Iran's nuclear program posed no threat to the U.S," and admits that "Clinton had a good Iran policy."

"You're sitting behind Matt Gaetz and he's texting his mommy," the user captioned the TikTok video. Watch below.

On X (formerly Twitter), Gaetz confirmed the viral video recording was indeed of him texting his mother.

"Apparently someone sitting behind me on a flight recorded me without my knowledge," he tweeted, adding a joke about needing to buy a screen protector.

This isn't the first time Gaetz's private texts have been at the center of controversy.

During a 2024 investigation, the former politician's alleged texts inviting a young woman who had allegedly been paid for sex on a private trip to the Florida Keys were obtained by Congressional House Ethics investigators.

The same sex scandal investigation revealed other alleged texts from Gaetz seemingly bragging about his paid-for sexual exploits and allegedly asking women to bring illegal drugs to their encounters.