Jacob Frey, the Democratic mayor of Minneapolis, became the target of widespread online mockery after video footage of him dancing to hip-hop music at a Black entrepreneurs' fair went viral on social media.
The video shows Frey wearing sunglasses while moving his shoulders and body on the dance floor, interacting with the event's host. The footage sparked a wave of criticism from conservative commentators and social media users, who described his dancing as "embarrassing" and "cringe-worthy." Conservative commentator Benny Johnson wrote: "Why are they always like this? This is almost worse than the time he pretended the Somali food he could barely swallow tasted good. It's a humiliation ritual in motion."
Other users piled on with similar reactions. One wrote simply, "How embarrassing," while another called Frey "the classic caricature of a white guy dancing." Radio host Mario Nawfal also criticized the mayor, writing that Frey was "dancing like his city isn't in complete chaos and suffering from rampant fraud at every level."
The event took place between August 9 and 15 at the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis, as part of a week dedicated to Black-owned businesses.
