Michael Flynn's Brother Abandons MAGA 'Clown Show'

The brother of Michael Flynn, former White House national security adviser, has seemingly abandoned MAGA supporters, calling the movement a "clown show" in a since-deleted post.

Michael Flynn served briefly as ex-President Donald Trump's U.S. security adviser and was pardoned by Trump in the final weeks of the former president's term, ending a long-running prosecution in the Russia investigation that saw him twice plead guilty to lying to the FBI before reversing himself. Flynn went on to launch the ReAwaken America Tour in the months after the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

According to The Daily Beast, Flynn's brother Joseph Flynn previously sided with the ex-security adviser after he took a plea deal from Special Counsel Robert Mueller over lying about his Russia contacts, resulting in QAnon conspiracy theorists believing Michael Flynn secretly worked with Mueller to help Trump defeat the Democratic "deep state."

On Monday, Joseph Flynn shared his thoughts on the current state of MAGA and on his brother, who has close ties to Trump, in a now-deleted post to X, formerly Twitter.

"Never ending f****** clown show ... honestly its why I want nothing to do with the MAGA cult anymore ... I love my brother ... but cannot take the whole circus seriously anymore," he wrote.

Newsweek has reached out to Trump via email for comment Monday.

Ron Filipkowski, editor in chief of Meidas Touch, also reported Joseph Flynn's post on X, saying, "Michael Flynn's brother is out."

In a more recent tweet, Joseph Flynn, co-founder, president and CEO of healthcare compliance solution company AUXILIO, continued to pledge his support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent in the 2024 race to the White House.

"Since I started supporting #RFKJr2024 I've lost 3,000 followers ... if you don't like the fact that I can think independently outside the Uniparty then please UNFOLLOW even BLOCK me. I want to continue to cull the herd from closed minded sheep ... Thank you ! May the best man win," he wrote on X.

Michael Flynn
Michael Flynn, former national security adviser to ex-President Donald Trump, is shown April 21, 2022, in Brunswick, Ohio. Flynn's brother Joseph has seemingly abandoned MAGA supporters, calling the movement a "clown show" in a since-deleted... Dustin Franz/Getty Images

Trump's pardoning of Michael Flynn has come under renewed scrutiny after the former president distanced himself from lawyer Sidney Powell after she pleaded guilty to six misdemeanor counts in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' 2020 election subversion probe in Georgia, in which Trump has also been indicted.

Powell and Michael Flynn are linked to the QAnon movement, and both frequently and baselessly claimed that the 2020 election was rigged against Trump due to widespread voter fraud. Powell had represented Michael Flynn while he tried to overturn his conviction over lying to the FBI, and was part of his legal team in November 2020, when Trump pardoned him.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Natalie Venegas is a Weekend Reporter at Newsweek based in New York. Her focus is reporting on education, social justice ... Read more

To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.

Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go