North Carolina Democratic State Representative Julie von Haefen is facing widespread condemnation and calls for her resignation after a social media post from Saturday, June 14, 2025, appeared to promote an image depicting the decapitation of President Donald Trump. Perhaps the memo on reducing violent political rhetoric hadn’t yet reached the lawmaker, or maybe it had.
The controversial post, made on her now-deleted X account, featured a sign with a bloody guillotine, the phrase “In these difficult times, some cuts may be necessary,” and a prop representing a beheaded Trump, alongside another head with a Nazi swastika.
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Speaker of the North Carolina House, Destin Hall, R-Caldwell, issued a strong statement on Sunday evening, calling von Haefen’s behavior “disgraceful” and stating he is examining “next steps with our legislative attorneys to ensure this behavior does not continue.”
The incident has drawn criticism from both state and national Republican figures. U.S. Rep. Dr. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., stated, “These libs have lost their mind.” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, echoed the sentiment, calling the act “un-democratic” and “increasingly on-brand for today’s Democrats.”
While von Haefen’s X account was deleted, her Facebook account remained active, where she posted an explanation stating she had “edited the video to remove the photo” and condemned “political violence in all forms.” However, she did not offer an apology.
“Yesterday, I posted a video on social media containing crowd photos from the No Kings protest in Raleigh. One of the images of a protester holding a sign was inappropriate, and I later edited the video to remove the photo,” the lawmaker said. “Let me be clear: I condemn political violence in all forms. My focus remains on bringing people together and fighting for the values that matter to North Carolinians. Like so many, I was horrified by the violence in Minnesota. There is no place for that kind of extremism in our democracy, no matter the target, no matter the party.”
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The timing of the post has also been criticized, coming shortly after a shooting in Minnesota that killed a state representative and her husband. State Rep. Brenden Jones, R-Columbus, highlighted the silence from North Carolina House Democrats, stating, “Their silence speaks volumes.”
Calls for von Haefen’s resignation, including from State Republican Party Chairman Jason Simmons, are mounting as legislative attorneys meet to determine potential actions.
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