“This made me cry”: Internet outraged as Matt Gaetz grooming teen homeless girl saving up for braces accusation goes viral

Public outrage is sweeping the internet after detailed allegations against former Florida Congressman and Trump associate Matt Gaetz were released, specifically focusing on the vulnerable situation of the 17-year old-girl involved.

The renewed focus follows a report from The New York Times, substantiated by a bipartisan investigation of the House Ethics Committee, which detailed how the child’s hardships made her an easy mark for predation.

The criticism is largely centered around the circumstances of a key witness in the story, a 17-year-old homeless girl who, first media reports suggest, supposedly met up with the Florida Republican while saving money to get braces. On X, the backlash has been swift, with one user writing:

"This made me cry." 

This made me cry https://t.co/m9GKKZbZbj pic.twitter.com/QO1KQ0Nzit

— Dhaaruni ✨✨✨ (@dhaaruni) November 13, 2025

"Bless her heart. Her story matters. These men are soulless pigs," said another.

"Damn, she wasn't even trying to get an apartment or cad or anything, she just wanted braces," commented a user.

"Another despicable predator gets away with it, because he is a Trumpist," a user remarked.

"Believable. Matt Gaetz needs to pay a homeless person for sex. Maybe he knew her from when AOC worked there.... or President Trump," wrote a user.

"If MG is found guilty in a court of law he should be jailed. Can you take away Government Retirement in America for rape? Anyway, equally disturbing is why this girl felt it was a good idea to sell her body to improve her looks with braces," another stated.

Matt Gaetz denies all wrongdoing as the girl's lawyer, Laura Wolf fights back

The teenager, a junior in high school who, according to her lawyer Laura B. Wolf, was experiencing homelessness, moved in and out of a shelter with one of her parents and worked at McDonald’s while saving money to buy braces as braces were not covered by insurance or Medicaid.

This humanitarian detail of a young girl trying to fix her teeth, has been mobilized into a focus of public sympathy and fury. The report claims she turned to a “sugar dating” website in 2017 and met Joel Greenberg, an associate of Gaetz.

This relationship resulted in a party, where she had sex with Gaetz and was paid $400, according to testimony obtained by the Ethics Committee. The committee’s report found there was “substantial evidence” that Gaetz had sex with the minor and broke statutory rape laws, but the Justice Department did not pursue charges.

The 17 year old girl that Matt Gaetz allegedly had sex with (raped), was living in a homeless shelter.

There’s no bottom to the depravity of this man. pic.twitter.com/q0ffZ8lrAY

— Turnbull (@cturnbull1968) November 13, 2025

Matt Gaetz has denied all wrongdoing throughout the scandal, time and time again. He told The New York Times by text message after publication of the latest report, in which the woman was not identified, “I never had s*x with this person” and said she had been trying to extort him for money. He has never been accused of a crime in connection with these claims.

The girl’s lawyer, Laura Wolf, said her client’s personal life was exposed outside of her control, adding that she hopes the new information helps people see “a fuller and more human picture of her.” Wolf stressed that exploitation isn’t just a question of age.

"Power imbalances can be age, but they can also be financial. My client had little economic security, which allowed for financial leverage over her," she added.

As the story spreads, an unavoidable reality has emerged which transcends party lines, a narrative of abuse of a teenage girl exploited by men with power.