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Connecticut Democratic state Sen. Saud Anwar faced widespread condemnation over an image of himself at a “No Kings” protest that many called inflammatory.
On Saturday, Anwar posted several photos of the protests in his district on his Facebook account. One image featured him standing next to a protester holding a sign reading, “Cholesterol, do your job!”
Many critics took this as an attack against President Donald Trump and blasted Anwar, who is a doctor, for appearing to approve of a sign wishing harm against the president.
Connecticut State Sen. Saud Anwar came under fire over an image of himself with a protester holding a sign reading “Cholesterol, do your job!” (Screenshot/Senator Saud Anwar Facebook)
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“Hate and violence define today’s Dems. Tragic,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, wrote.
Actor Nick Searcy wrote, “Remember when I said that democrats want you dead?”
Members of the Connecticut Senate Republicans also condemned the image in a statement posted to X.
“Connecticut deserves leaders who put people first—not those who promote dangerous rhetoric. Yet today, Democrat Senator Saud Anwar chose to perpetuate a harmful narrative instead of condemning it. This is absolutely disgusting behavior—especially from someone who’s a doctor and the Chair of the Public Health Committee,” the CT Senate Republicans wrote.
Connecticut Republicans also slammed state Democrats for having “nothing to offer” voters except higher taxes, higher prices, and toxic politics.
Protesters gather in front of Stamford Superior Court in Connecticut on Saturday, Oct. 18. (Arnold Gold/Connecticut Post via Getty Images)
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Individual Connecticut Republican state senators also weighed in on their own X accounts.
“‘No Kings’ rallies? Please. Democrats worship big-government, central planning and bureaucracy that answers to no one. Republicans fight for liberty. And Democrat Sen. Saud Anwar holding a sign saying ‘Cholesterol do your job’ about Trump? That’s vile. Do better Senator,” state Sen. Rob Sampson wrote.
State Sen. Ryan Fazio, who is also running for governor of Connecticut, called the image “shameful” and demanded Anwar apologize “immediately.”
“How many @CTDems leaders have condemned any of this hateful rhetoric? Gov. Lamont? Anyone? Bueller? Everyone says they’re against the hatred, but CT Dems are ratcheting it up. These are not the people who should be leading our state. CT deserves better,” Fazio wrote on X.
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In a comment to Fox News Digital, Anwar did not apologize for the photo and called the outrage a “performative distraction” over what he described as a “joke.”
Saud Anwar did not apologize for the image. (Amy Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“Some Republicans are pretending to be outraged over a photo of me standing next to a satirical sign at a No Kings rally,” Anwar said. “Republicans are furious over a joke, but silent when our democracy, our health care and our planet are under attack. The outrage is a performative distraction. If they can’t create ways to be mad about the things that don’t matter, then people will start to realize their positions on things that do matter.”
He continued, “While they’re busy clutching pearls over a piece of poster board, families in Connecticut are fighting for affordable health care, quality education and fundamental constitutional rights. The work continues, whether the outrage machine approves or not.”
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The Connecticut Democrats issued a similar statement calling out the backlash against Anwar’s image.
“MAGA is wound up over a joke, but silent when our democracy, our health care and our planet are under attack. It’s performative distraction—creating ways to be angry about things that don’t matter, to keep people form actually seeing their position on issues that do,” the statement read.
It continued, “While they’re clutching pearls over a poster board, families in Connecticut are fighting for affordable health care, quality education and fundamental constitutional rights. End the Trump shutdown. Fund healthcare. Release the Epstein files.”
The article was updated to include a statement from Connecticut Democrats.
