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| (FTD Speaks -- Facebook) |
What if you are a MAGA influencer, broadcasting live from Donald Trump's Great American State Fair on the National Mall, and the sparsely attended event (see photo below) begins to, umm, lose your interest? If you are one right-wing livestreamer, you busy yourself by pleasuring yourself. That's from reports at multiple news outlets, including this jointly published piece at The Daily Beast and Yahoo! News, under the headline "MAGA Fanatic Accused of Twisted Sex Acts at Trump's State Fair." A report like this demands insightful commentary -- both about apparent activity in a livestreamer's pants and lack of activity at Trump's "Great" fair -- and Canada-based Substacker Dean Blundell provides it. But first, let's get the basics from Farrah Tomazin, of The Daily Beast:
A MAGA supporter dressed as Uncle Sam was arrested at Donald Trump's Great American State Fair after police alleged he committed a lewd act.
Police documents reviewed by The Daily Beast show that Gian Rachtelli was charged with "lewd, indecent, or obscene acts" after three separate witnesses told police they observed what appeared to be a sexual act while watching a troupe of female circus performers.
Rachtelli, 54, has been identified online by supporters as the MAGA livestreamer known as "Manny," who was broadcasting live from the event. The influencer's most recent livestream from the day of the arrest cut off abruptly when police officers were shown approaching him, though there was no audio to capture what was being said. He has not posted since.
"False Report. Unfair Report. Wrongful Detention. Free Manny!" one X user wrote in response to word of Rachtelli's arrest.
The acts allegedly took place in front of the Cirque Mechanics acrobatic show on the first day of the fair.
One witness said they were standing behind the man who was vaping and filming the female performers before placing his hand inside his pants in what the witness believed was a sexual act.
Another told police that Rachtelli "returned for the second show, and I saw him with his hand in his pants, likely doing what we all thought he was doing."
And a third witness said they were "approached by a female member of the acrobat team who had noticed an older white male that was making her and other female performers uncomfortable."
"They informed me that they noticed him making lewd gestures in his pants … while they were performing," the witness said.
Predictably, MAGAs seemed to be "standing by their man," no matter how many witnesses made statements to the police. Tomazin writes:
"I'm standing by Manny 100%. He didn't do this. He was live streaming the entire time, and the footage shows what happened before his arrest," one said on Reddit.
"From everything I've seen, this appears to be an attempt to destroy his reputation, damage his livelihood, and silence someone because of his political views."
That raises these questions: How does Rachtelli earn a living, what is his profession, where does he work? A query to AI Overview produces the following:
Public professional profiles, such as LinkedIn, list him as the CEO and operator of a business called First Class Cellular, based in Parkville, Missouri. (Note: The company actually appears to be in Parkville, Maryland -- with Rachtelli's home reportedly in Baltimore.)
It is unclear if he supports himself primarily through his streaming revenue or his cellular business. He is best known in the public sphere as part of a network of pro-Trump streamers who monetize their content through digital interactions, donations, and audience support.
We have been unable to find a phone number or Website for First-Class Cellular in Parkville, MD. Does it exist? We don't have an answer yet.
As for commentary, we turn to Dean Blundell, who long has been a prominent figure in Canadian media -- working as a radio personality, online commentator, podcaster, and media executive. His Dean Bundell Show became the top-rated morning show in the Toronto market with the core 18-34 demographic. Blundell shifted to independent digital media ownership, launching the digital content and podcast hub DeanBundell.com, which was an aggregator for more than 60 independent creators. That venture, in early 2023, became Crier Media. Blundell now can be found in a number of online locations -- at Substack, at Narative.org, where he and former CBS executive producer Zev Shalev discuss top stories of the day in their "FiveStack"commentary. He also produces The Daily Dean Newsletter," to which you can subscribe here.
I discovered Blundell's work a few months back and have become a big fan. He's insightful, timely, original, and fearless -- unafraid to throw a punch, especially in the direction of the Trump administration.
Let's take a look at his take on Trump's colossal bust of a fair, which featured a devoted follower being accused by cops of committing a lewd act in public. Blundell writes:
You know how every state fair has butter sculptures? This one had a portrait of Donald Trump, a Turning Point USA booth, and a cow named after Melania. North Carolina’s pavilion got busted on opening day for displaying an “unapproved image” of the Confederate flag. Alabama’s booth was, according to a reporter on the ground, one room with a bucket of peanuts in the middle. That’s the whole exhibit. A bucket. Of peanuts. In a room. Representing Alabama at America’s 250th.
And that is before we get to Manny.
Manny, of course, is Gian Rachtelli -- who apparently was so bored that he decided to show support for Cirque Mechanics, a female-led acrobatic troupe, by diddling himself with no crowd around to provide cover. Three witnesses approached law enforcement with information about what they had seen, and No. 3 might have been the most impactful witness of all, as Blundell reports:
Witness 3: Was approached by one of the female acrobats while she was supposed to be performing. “I was approached by a female member of the acrobat team who had noticed an older white male that was making her & other female performer uncomfortable. They informed me that they noticed him making lewd gestures in his pants (as if he was attempting to/masturbating) while they were performing.”
Three witnesses. Independently. Including a member of the troupe who was so disturbed during her own act that she stepped off and reported it.
Park Police determined probable cause. Rachtelli was arrested on the spot, charged with one count of “lewd, indecent, or obscene acts,” and transported to U.S. Park Police District 1 for processing. His livestream — the one streaming live to his MAGA audience — went black mid-broadcast as officers approached him. He has not posted since.
Knowing that MAGAs were likely to downsize any form of "pocket pool" Rachtelli might have been playing and upsize any attempts to estimate the crowd, Blundell decided to take matters into his own hands, writing:
You know what’s coming. You always know what’s coming. Within hours, MAGA Reddit and MAGA X had a new martyr.
“False Report. Unfair Report. Wrongful Detention. Free Manny!”
“I’m standing by Manny 100%. He didn’t do this. He was live-streaming the entire time, and the footage shows what happened before his arrest.”
“From everything I’ve seen, this appears to be an attempt to destroy his reputation, damage his livelihood, and silence someone because of his political views.”
Yes. Yes. The deep state has finally come for the guy in the Uncle Sam costume jerking it at the circus. It’s all coming together. They don’t want you to enjoy Cirque Mechanics in your own pants. They are silencing Manny because of his political views — the political view being, apparently, “I should be allowed to do whatever I want at a taxpayer-funded event because I’m wearing patriotic clothing.” Free speech. First Amendment. Free Manny.
This is the cult, in its purest form. There is no behavior — no behavior — a MAGA man can engage in that the rest of MAGA won’t immediately reframe as persecution. A Secret Service agent on Trump’s own detail was arrested earlier this year for indecent exposure for masturbating in front of guests at a Miami hotel. (Look it up. John Spillman. Real story.) Now a MAGA livestreamer in costume gets pinched for the same thing at Trump’s own state fair, and the response from the base is to demand his release and announce a conspiracy. The defense isn’t “he didn’t do it.” The defense is “and if he did, the libs made him.”
These are the same people who spent the last three years demanding the world be “protected from groomers.” Who can’t say the word “drag queen” without losing their lunch. Whose entire moral framework is supposedly built on protecting children and families from public indecency. And the moment one of their own is charged with allegedly committing public indecency in costume, on livestream, in front of female performers at a family event, the line becomes: don’t believe your lying eyes. Free Manny.
Why This Story Is The Whole Story
Look at the picture. Actually look at it. A man in a giant red Uncle Sam top hat, mouth open, American flag glasses, mid-livestream, at an empty federal event on the National Mall, allegedly with his hand down his pants while female acrobats perform six feet from him.
That’s not just the worst day of one guy’s life. That’s the photograph of what’s left of the MAGA spectacle in mid-2026.
The fair was supposed to be the kickoff to America’s biggest birthday ever. The 250th. The semiquincentennial. The thing this country has been planning, in some form, since the 1990s. It was supposed to be unifying. Bipartisan. Like the 200th in 1976, when Republicans and Democrats and everybody in between sat on the same lawn and watched the same fireworks because being American was the point.
Instead, it’s a Trump rally with a Ferris wheel. The acts boycotted it. The states refused to fund it. The musicians who showed up got rained on. The crowd Trump claims is 45,000 is actually 1,000 with half of them in MAGA hats leaving early. The food is a Disney rip-off with a bucket of room-temperature peanuts representing Alabama. The most expensive single item is a $24.96 pretzel. The “highlights” are a plywood arch and a borrowed Ferris wheel. The cow is named Melania. The Confederate flag had to be removed by Friday afternoon. The president lied about all of it by Thursday afternoon. And the on-the-ground content moment that broke the internet wasn’t a flyover or a fiddle contest or a moment of national unity.
It was a 54-year-old man dressed as Uncle Sam, on his own livestream, allegedly getting himself off in his pants while watching female acrobats — and his fans calling him a political prisoner inside of two hours.
That is what $100 million bought. That is the kickoff to America’s 250th. That is who showed up.
Donald Trump doesn’t throw events. He throws Yelp warnings. Everything he touches becomes a one-star review with photos. The Lincoln Reflecting Pool turned Kermit-green. The Ferris wheel broke. The ice cream melted. The musicians fled. The states bailed. The mascot is a cow named after his wife. And the lasting image — the one that’s going to be in every history book that gets written about this whole grotesque period — is the Uncle Sam in handcuffs.
Trump is going to do this again on July 4th. He’s already said so. “I’ll be speaking again,” he posted, like a regional theater production announcing additional dates. There will be more arches. More plywood. More $23 turkey legs. And, statistically, almost certainly, more Mannys. Because that’s the lineup. That’s the audience. That’s the crowd.
This is who they are. This is who you’re standing next to. Look at the picture. Look at the costume. Look at the livestream timeline. Look at the comments defending him. Then look at every politician, every preacher, every podcaster, every grifter who told you these were the people protecting your kids and your country.
The receipts are heavy. The receipts are public. And the receipts are deeply embarrassing.
From up here in Canada, this is the part where I always remind you: This is not a “both countries are the same” moment. This is not a “every country has problems” moment. This is the United States of America, on the eve of its 250th birthday, with a president openly campaigning to annex my country, throwing a fair where the headline event is an Uncle Sam getting walked out in handcuffs. We’re not laughing at America. We love America. Our grandparents fought beside yours. We’re laughing at this. The cult. The grift. The whole carnival.
You deserve so much better. You deserve fireworks and corn dogs and bunting and Bruce Springsteen. You deserve butter sculptures and pie contests and the world’s smallest horse. You deserve the good version of yourselves on your 250th birthday.
What you got was Manny.
Pour one out for MAGA and America. What a F****** AWESOME DISASTER.
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| Trump's Great American Fair features plenty of room to stretch out. (Yahoo!) |
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