Controversial social media personality Dan Bilzerian has ignited a firestorm during his congressional campaign by defending his use of derogatory language against his political opponent and casually dropping a racial slur during an interview.
Bilzerian, who is challenging incumbent Representative Randy Fine for Florida's 6th Congressional District, recently called Fine a "fat Jew" on social media. When pressed about the comment during an appearance on "TMZ Live," Bilzerian doubled down on his remarks.
"He's a Jewish supremacist who puts Israel's interests before America's," Bilzerian claimed about his opponent. "I have no problem calling him a fat Jew."
The interview took an even more disturbing turn when hosts Harvey Levin and Charles Latibeaudiere asked Bilzerian if using the term "Jew" in this context was comparable to using the n-word. In his response, Bilzerian uttered the racial slur with a hard "r" pronunciation.
Despite these inflammatory statements, Bilzerian insisted he is not anti-Semitic, claiming his opposition is specifically directed at what he calls "Jewish supremacists" rather than Jewish people in general.
The controversy began when Representative Fine criticized individuals who had posted "missing" posters featuring Adolf Hitler. Bilzerian responded to Fine's criticism with the anti-Semitic insult that has now become central to his campaign's growing controversy.
Bilzerian, once dubbed the "King of Instagram" for his lavish lifestyle posts, is now facing widespread condemnation as he attempts to transition from social media influencer to political candidate in one of Florida's key congressional races.