Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) is one of the upper chamber's most committed conservative Republican senators. He has an almost dogmatic devotion to the core values of the party. He was ushered into office during the Tea Party wave, where he remained a loyal fighter of the conservative cause. Yet, Utah isn’t known for lawmakers who are, in a word, interesting. That’s not to say that Lee is dull, but he’s not one to hurl insults on social media, deliver zingers to left-wing straw man arguments, or post on Twitter in general. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) is the other Republican serving with Lee—need I say more about who Utah sends to Congress? The state does, by and large, elect some good Republicans—except for Romney.
When ‘BasedMikeLee’ arrived on Twitter, it was a little funny since you’d never thought the Utah Republican would pick a fight, smirkingly tweeting that liberals “can’t handle this frickin’ smoke.” He mocked Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-KY) height and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (D-NY) fake arrest outside the Supreme Court in the days following the Dobbs ruling. Is this really Mike Lee tweeting? Earlier this month, he admitted to the Huffington Post of all publications that it was his private account (via Huffington Post):
#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/bh5hqsBlcT
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) July 24, 2022
Last month, the Twitter account Based Mike Lee quietly popped up.
If you were unsure whether it’s him, it has an old picture of Lee. The bio says, “I’m a U.S. senator from Utah,” and it’s clearly not the account of Sen. Mitt Romney, the other senator from Utah. (Also, Romney’s secret Twitter account was already outed in 2019, and it was not called Based Mike Lee.)
The Salt Lake Tribune recently reported a source close to Lee said it is his personal Twitter account, which the senator’s office confirmed to HuffPost Wednesday.
“Based” is internet slang. It’s the opposite of “woke” and a point of pride for conservatives. But Lee doesn’t really deviate from his public persona, and the account isn’t very spicy. He still likes talking about the law, but he tries a bit harder (too hard?) to make jokes and sound cool, even pulling out the “deal with it” meme from the last decade.
The haters can’t handle this frickin’ smoke
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) July 24, 2022
I’m feeling great, thanks. I’d be worried if I had celebrated what could turn out to be a breathtaking abuse of power by the FBI for political purposes. https://t.co/pB7ofIWU3n
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) August 9, 2022
I’m taller than @RandPaul.
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) July 24, 2022
You know it’s bad when even the Washington Post editorial board is attacking it.
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) August 26, 2022
Apparently the Washington Post isn’t willing to be Biden’s press office on this one — with good reason!
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) August 26, 2022
The publication did link to Mitt Romney’s exposed burner account, which sucked, but this one is worth a follow. Unchained from the protocols of his official accounts, the Utah senator is much more candid. Is it as good as Right to Bear Memes or Libs of Tik Tok? No, but for accounts that allow senators to loosen their tie, just a smidgen—Based Mike Lee is funny.
Libs of Tik Tok recently got suspended for accurately reporting creepy gender reassignment surgeries being approved at children’s hospitals, but that’s a tale for another time.