(LifeSiteNews) — Catholics as well as non-Catholics are denouncing Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer for recording a bizarre video where she feeds a Dorito chip to a feminist influencer who is on her knees. The incident is being seen as a mocking of the distribution of Holy Communion during Mass.
The video in question, which was shared by pro-abortion filmmaker Liz Plank to her Instagram page Thursday, was roundly criticized by prominent individuals and political organizations.
“Whatever Gov. Whitmer imagined she was doing here was wrong on nearly every level. Lampooning sacraments is not likely to win over Catholic voters … Or any other voting block. Or is there a Wiccan Doritos cult that I’m unaware of?” EWTN anchor Raymond Arroyo said on X
“A reminder to the doubters – demons exist, and they HATE … our Lord in the Most Holy Eucharist!” Michael Hichborn of the Lepanto Institute recalled.
“Gretchen Whitmer is only the latest example of the gross anti-Catholic bigotry festering inside the Democratic Party,” advocacy group CatholicVote stated.
The group has since called for a public apology from Whitmer.
Political pundits have also weighed in on the controversy.
“Let’s be clear what’s happening in this video. Gov. Whitmer of Michigan is pretending to give communion to a leftist podcaster on her knees, using a Dorito as the Eucharist while wearing a Harris-Walz hat. Do they want ZERO Catholic votes for Harris?” former Trump adviser Tim Murtaugh remarked on X.
“Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer feeds a left-wing podcaster a Dorito as if it’s the Eucharist while wearing a Kamala/Walz hat. But word on the street is that JD Vance is weird and that MAGA is a cult,” Greg Price observed.
“More decadent-empire behavior from Democrats, this time via Governor Nero of Michigan,” conservative commentator Michael Knowles said.
Plank had welcomed Whitmer on her podcast, titled “Chip Chat,” to discuss masculinity and her fake kidnapping plot, but primarily to hear about her unabashed support for abortion.
“Okay, and you have two daughters. When they come back home and the leave their [cups] lying around, do you ever think about getting a post-birth abortion?”
To which Whitmer laughed hysterically. “Well, first of all … thank you for raising that because there’s no such thing. So I think its really important for us to make sure people understand that when people like Donald Trump say that ‘after birth abortion,’ that’s just not really a thing that exists.”
Fox New contributor Tammy Bruce, a lesbian, re-shared female sports activist Riley Gaines’ X post calling out Whitmer for joking about abortion.
“I’m not even Catholic and I was disgusted. Here they laugh about ‘post birth’ abortion. When the left tells you who they are, believe them,” she said.
Here’s more from Whitmer from apparently the same “interview” where they decided mocking the Eucharist with Doritos was a good idea. And I’m not even Catholic and I was disgusted. Here they laugh about “post birth” abortion. When the left tells you who they are, believe them. https://t.co/xYgoBLKSaU
— Tammy Bruce (@HeyTammyBruce) October 10, 2024
While not technically legal, a post-birth abortion, which is another term for infanticide, does occur in certain U.S. states. It takes place when a child survives a botched abortion attempt but is left to die from their injuries by the abortionist.
Democrats, including former President Barack Obama as well as Kamala Harris, have routinely voted against bills that would ensure babies who survive abortions receive medical care. Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion groups also vehemently oppose such legislation. Former Democratic Governor of Virginia Ralph Northam infamously said the quiet part out loud when he admitted his support for post-birth abortion in 2020.
“If a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother,” he stated on a radio show.
While Governor of Minnesota, Democrat Tim Walz also took steps that allowed infanticide. As detailed by The Dispatch’s Alex Dumas in August, Walz signed an omnibus bill that repealed most of Minnesota’s born-alive protections, including reporting requirements. That package of bills rewrote the requirement to “preserve the life and health of the born alive infant” into merely “car[ing] for the infant who is born alive.”
“Minnesota Department of Health documents show that eight infants were born alive during abortion procedures between 2019 and 2022,” Dumas noted.
Plank and others have pushed back against the criticism she and Whitmer have received. Doritos are Kamala Harris’ favorite “chip” snack, some point out. Moreover, people feeding others is a trend on TikTok and other social media platforms. Third, the caption beneath the video on Plank’s instagram page touts Harris’ support for the CHIPS Act, a bill that pertains to the tech industry and the production of semiconductors in the U.S., the claim being that Whitmer and Plank were just acting out a play on words.
But many are not buying it, including Catholic League present Bill Donahue, who issued a searing rebuke.
“Some apologists even say this is being done to support the CHIPS Act, a bill that supports the semiconductor industry. This is a lie, and it is easy to disprove,” he said. “There are indeed many clips of people feeding each other on social media, but there is no reference to the CHIPS Act, nor are they eating chips. The typical video on Tik Tok shows one person sitting at a table, often in a restaurant, being fed—usually with a fork or spoon—by a friend. None of them are kneeling. None of them are receiving food on the tongue. What Whitmer did was to deride Holy Communion. There is no wiggle room for her to deny the obvious.”
According to a recent Pew Research poll, Catholics favor Donald Trump 52 percent to Kamala Harris’ 47 percent. Harris recently announced she was skipping out 0n this month’s Al Smith Dinner in New York City. Cardinal Timothy Dolan has said he is “doubly disappointed” in the decision. Both candidates would have a difficult time winning the presidency if they fail to convince Michigan voters to support them at next month election on November 5.