Why was a young man — referred to on the internet as “Plaid Shirt Guy” — removed from President Donald Trump’s rally in Billings, Montana, last Thursday night?
Tyler Linfesty, known to social media users by the moniker Plaid Shirt Guy, has gotten a ton of attention since the Trump campaign-style rally for his unenthusiastic expressions during the president’s remarks before a packed crowd of thousands.
But it’s his reason for being booted by the U.S. Secret Service that has Twitter and Facebook reeling with theories.
Linfesty claimed nobody actually told him why he was booted from the venue — he says he had his ID checked before being escorted away from the rally, as a piece in USA Today has noted.
His prime location behind POTUS, which gave him an excellent camera angle on television, allowed the social world to explode with memes, questions and catty commentary.
Before they were positioned behind the president, those situated in that area were told, apparently, that they must “clap and show enthusiasm” — a request Linfesty ignored.
During his remarks that night, the president referenced anthem kneeler Colin Kaepernick’s contentious ad campaign with Nike, the confirmation hearings of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, and the anonymous New York Times op-ed author who published a piece last week in that newspaper — someone whom Trump believes is treasonous.
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Linfesty is claiming that facial expressions are natural reactions to speeches of this kind.
The high school senior reiterated he didn’t want to cause commotion — he said he was agreeing and disagreeing in equal measure with much of what Trump had to say.
Linfesty then left without incident, as Secret Service agents flanked him on each side.
He clapped during Trump’s dialogue about NAFTA — and to references about Bernie Sanders having the Democratic primary stolen away from him during the 2016 presidential election cycle.
Trump or those working for or with him apparently had enough of Linfesty’s unenthusiastic expressions, as an unnamed woman walked up and told the young man he was being replaced, as were his friends.
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Donning his Democratic socialist pin, Linfesty then left without incident, as Secret Service agents flanked him on each side.
Having told the Billings Gazette and CNN that he was selected for the event and had VIP seats for himself and three of his friends, the Democratic socialist teen then stated his plan was to agree and clap with statements he agreed with — and to show no reaction to the statements with which he disagreed.
“All of those reactions [during the rally] were my natural reaction,” he told CNN’s Don Lemon in an interview.
“I’ve always wondered myself, are those people [clapping at Trump rallies] really being genuine?” he also said.
An unnamed woman walked up and told the young man he was being replaced, as were his friends.
Prior to engaging the Republican Committee about reserved seats, Linfesty said he always wondered how genuine the people behind the president were.
He said he often questioned whether reactions were scripted or represented how people actually felt.
He was barred from the Billings rally — but it’s unclear at this point whether he’s also banned from other functions across the state.
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