The recent funeral for the Iranian leader killed in the initial US strike earlier this year revealed not only the level of anti-American sentiment on the streets of that nation, but also how deeply ingrained that worldview has become right here at home.
One glaring example involves a social media influencer with a massive following who traveled to Iran to participate in the funeral as well as some shocking demonstrations calling for the destruction of America.
Video of the display soon began to spread on social media, including one GOP lawmaker’s call for Jackson Hinkle to be arrested on charges of treason.
That post attracted some praise in the comments, even from one of his ardent political detractors:
I usually disagree with you on 99% of everything, but this time I’m on the same page. I’m sure it won’t be long before we’re back to disagreeing 99% of the time soon though.
— 𝕁𝕁 (@JJHardwood) July 8, 2026
Others see President Trump as the solution for this undercurrent of ant-Americanism:
All of this anti-USA rhetoric will cease once President Trump finishes the job as these idiots will not even have a stage to stand on !
— Franco Musio, M.D. (@FrancoMusio) July 8, 2026
Here’s what else Fine had to say on the matter:
The only way to deal with people who chant “Death to America” is to make sure they never set foot here.
— Congressman Randy Fine (@RepFine) July 8, 2026
But the incident only warranted a blurb in the few media outlets that covered it, including this tidbit from Al Jazeera:
The self-styled ‘MAGA communist’ is one of a handful of US content creators allowed to attend the funeral in Iran.
But Hinkle wasn’t the only one causing a stir back home, as Fox News reported:
A far-left activist who previously helped organize youth support for Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and volunteered for Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s, D-Mass., presidential campaign appeared in an Iranian state media interview praising the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling him the “greatest anti-imperialist leader” of her lifetime.
Calla Walsh, who describes herself as a journalist from the U.S. working in Lebanon, made the remarks in an interview aired by Iranian state media PressTV during the outlet’s coverage of Khamenei’s funeral. Walsh was previously profiled by Boston Magazine as a young organizer who helped form Students for Markey and “played a pivotal role” in Sen. Markey’s 2020 primary win over then-Rep. Joe Kennedy III, after first volunteering for Sen. Warren’s presidential campaign.
“He was a leader to all people in the world who struggled against imperialism, against arrogance, against Zionism, against genocide,” Walsh said in the interview. “To me, he was the greatest anti-imperialist leader to live during my lifetime.”
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