Democrats compared struggling Chiefs to Trump. KC mayor clapped back
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- DNC posted a 38-second video comparing the Chiefs to Trump, prompting backlash.
- Kansas City leaders and fans criticized the post despite the city's Democratic tilt.
- Video surfaced amid Democrats' struggle in Kansas and Missouri state legislature races.
The Democratic National Committee is facing blowback for a video on social media comparing the struggling Kansas City Chiefs to President Donald Trump.
The 38-second video from the DNC’s official X account, @TheDemocrats, splices clips from the Chiefs’ Sunday night loss to the Houston Texans with videos of the Republican president sleeping and slicing golf shots.
“Washed,” the account wrote in the Monday afternoon post, which included the 1982 song “Outstanding” by The Gap Band.
The post appeared to be part of an online trend in which sports highlights are played over the R&B song to suggest that someone or something is past its prime. However, the video has faced backlash from some online users who have framed it as nonsensical.
The post has drawn particular pushback from sports fans in Kansas City, including its mayor, who pointed to the fact that the city is largely Democratic-leaning.
“Other than voting 3 to 1 in your favor, what’s Kansas City ever done to you?” Mayor Quinton Lucas, who is largely aligned with Democrats, wrote on social media in response.
Others have questioned the Democrats’ decision to include the Chiefs, after one of the team’s most famous fans, Taylor Swift, endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris for president in 2024.
“Making fun of Travis Kelce when his fiancé is your biggest celebrity endorsement is an… interesting strategy,” another user wrote in response.
A spokesperson for the DNC did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the backlash. A Chiefs spokesperson also did not respond.
Much of the online discourse surrounding the video has appeared tongue-in-cheek. But the decision to mock a Kansas City-based team came at an awkward moment for the Democratic Party, which has struggled to gain ground in the state legislatures of both Kansas and Missouri in recent years.
A national group that helps elect Democratic state lawmakers announced on Wednesday that it is looking to break the Republican supermajorities in both Kansas and Missouri.
The group, called the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, included both states in its 2026 target map and released a strategy memo indicating its goal of electing more Democrats to both state legislatures.
This story was originally published December 10, 2025 at 12:31 PM.
