Nevada Congresswoman Susie Lee and a group of fellow Democratic lawmakers are getting roasted online after a TikTok video went viral—for all the wrong reasons.
The video, titled “Choose Your Fighter,” was posted by influencer Sulhee Jessica Woo on March 4, 2025, and has since become the latest example of cringeworthy political pandering.
In the video, Lee (D-NV) and five other female House Democrats – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Lauren Underwood (D-IL), Katherine Clark (D-MA), Judy Chu (D-CA), and Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) – try their best to mimic the “Choose Your Character” screen from old-school fighting games like Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat.
Each lawmaker strikes an awkward, overly staged fighting pose while classic “Choose Your Character” music from Super Smash Bros. plays in the background.
JUST IN: House Democrats release new “choose your fighter” skit to entice their base.
pic.twitter.com/to1Q1MCNh9— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 6, 2025
The idea was apparently to celebrate Women’s History Month, with hashtags like #womenshistorymonth, #womenwhofight, and #savedemocracy.
But if the goal was to empower, the execution had the opposite effect.
The video immediately drew harsh criticism online, with reactions ranging from laughter to outright mockery. Social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) lit up with comments calling the video “cringe,” “corny,” and “out-of-touch.”
Some called it “DNC propaganda” and pointed out how dated the “Choose Your Fighter” trope is – something that hasn’t been popular in the gaming world since the 1990s.
The video was widely shared by conservative-leaning outlets like Legal Insurrection and Mediaite, which framed the clip as an embarrassing misstep for Democrats.
Many noted that only a few of the participants – namely Woo, Ocasio-Cortez, and Crockett – seemed even remotely comfortable in front of the camera. The rest, including Lee, looked about as natural as a cat in a bathtub.
To be fair, there’s no sign that Lee masterminded this idea. It seems Woo, a known TikTok personality, was the one pulling the strings, and Lee merely went along for the ride.
But as the saying goes, “When you lie down with cringe, you get up with memes.”
This isn’t the first time Democrats have tried (and failed) to “connect” with younger voters through social media.
Whether it’s dance challenges or out-of-context movie quotes, the party’s attempts often come off as forced. Critics argue these stunts do more harm than good, highlighting a tone-deafness to the audiences they’re trying to reach.
Of course, not everyone hated the video. Some of Lee’s supporters applauded her willingness to participate in something fun and lighthearted.
They argue that Republicans criticizing the video are missing the point and are just being overly negative. But even among those defenders, the praise was lukewarm at best.
While the video hasn’t sparked any formal political fallout for Lee, it has certainly added fuel to the fire of online discourse.
In a time when many voters are looking for serious solutions to serious problems, the “Choose Your Fighter” video felt more like a parody than a promotion of progress.
As the dust settles, one lesson seems clear: When it comes to social media, not every trend is worth following. Sometimes, the best move is to just sit this one out.
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
