President Donald J. Trump in Garden City, New York, Friday, August 14, 2026. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley/Flickr)
In early August, GOP voters in Michigan's 8th Congressional District defied President Donald Trump when they nominated retired General Motors engineer Thomas Smith over the Trump-backed Amir Hassan. The nomination drew increased scrutiny of Smith's background, and according to CNN's Andrew Kaczynski, the Flint, Michigan-based business owner has a long history of making extreme statements.
Kaczynski, in a KFile report for CNN, explains, "A Republican congressional nominee in a closely divided Michigan district deleted social media accounts containing thousands of posts that include a yearslong pattern of inflammatory and conspiratorial rhetoric — including amplifying a post that appeared to raise the possibility of the death penalty for political opponents of President Donald Trump … A CNN KFile review of some 13,000 archived posts from Smith's now-deleted accounts uncovered a substantially broader pattern of far-right rhetoric than previously reported, including repeated accusations of treason, attacks on Muslim Americans and Islam, birther-style conspiracy theories about Barack Obama, and posts in which Smith said he had been awakened before dawn with a message from God for conservative radio host Dan Bongino."
In the general election, Smith is up against incumbent Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Michigan). The Cook Political Report moved the race in Michigan's 8th Congressional District from "lean Democratic" to "likely Democratic," and according to Kaczynski, Smith's "digital history" could "loom over" the election in a swing district that Trump won by roughly 3 percent in 2024.
"One of the starkest examples came in February 2025," Kaczynski notes. "The account, JarHeadSalsa, named for the Flint salsa business Smith owns with his son, reposted a message addressed to Trump: 'Do whatever it takes to take our country back from those who sought to have it destroyed.' 'There are traitors within who deserve to be put on trial for treason,' the post added. 'What's the punishment for treason again?' A person convicted of treason can be punished by death or be imprisoned for no less than five years … One racist repost that Smith shared urged the deportation of the 'Somali infestation' of America."
Kaczynski notes that the "February 2025 post … was hardly the only time Smith's account amplified accusations that political figures were traitors."
"In July 2024," the CNN reporter notes, "he reposted a message declaring that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer 'is a traitor.' Last November, after several Democratic lawmakers urged service members to refuse illegal orders, Smith's account reposted a message calling Rep. Maggie Goodlander a 'traitor.' Days later, it amplified another calling for Sen. Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain, to be stripped of his rank and court-martialed for sedition. He also shared numerous reposts accusing former President Barack Obama of treason, including one labeling him a 'Shadow President.'"
Kaczynski continues, "Another declared that 'treason charges are coming,' tagging Obama and adding 'you are f– –,' while asking whether he ordered Trump to be assassinated. Another repost on Truth Social called former Rep. Eric Swalwell treasonous and for him to be jailed."