Gay dad targeted in fake MAGA interview slams ‘exploitation for viral content’
David and Anthony Vulin, and their son Ante (CNN)
Gay couple David and Anthony Vulin have slammed the current thinking of content creators who exploit the LGBTQ+ community to get their viral moment.
In April, David was arrested and charged with a felony for alleged vandalism, after an incident with MAGA influencer Ryley Niemi. Niemi approached the couple, who were taking a walk with their young son Ante, under the guise of an interview for CNN.
When he started asking them about raising their son without a mother, and about child abuse, it became clear that Niemi wasn’t who he said he was. In video footage shared by Niemi, the couple could be seen trying to walk away from him before things turned physical.
Since then, more than $100,000 has been raised for the couple’s legal costs through GoFundMe.
Now, in an interview with the real CNN, David has spoken out against the “exploitation” he and his family faced.
Speaking to CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan, David said: “I realised that we were manipulated into having this interaction with someone who was exploiting us for viral content.”
‘The wrong person spent the night in jail’
He went on: “When someone inserts themself into a specific community, with the intention of triggering people, it’s not freedom of expression, it’s exploitation.”
Asked if he had a message for Niemi, who has also targeted trans people in his social media stunts, David said: “I don’t really think this is about him. This isn’t about one specific content creator, this is about an incentivised institution. This is about large platforms telling youthful audiences what works and not being held accountable.”
David spent some time in jail after the incident. His legal representative argued he simply “did what any father would do and protected his family,” adding: “The wrong person spent the night in jail.”
David went on: “I think that across the board, regardless of political identity, people need to extend grace to one another. People need to extend kindness to one another, be nicer to themselves, so that they can be nicer to other people.”
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