Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) joined 17 of his fellow republican senators in a trip to the Mexican border, where they longingly touched the unfinished border wall, cosplayed as border patrol officers, and filmed themselves wandering in the marshes of the Rio Grande.

But along with the unintentionally hilarious photo-ops came a truly unhinged speech from Daines, where he discussed Mexican drug cartels and drug trafficking across the border. It turns out that it’s not the drug trafficking itself that rankles Daines, but its effect on local businesses. And by “local businesses”, he means meth labs.

“Twenty years ago in Montana, meth was homemade. It was homegrown. And you had purity levels less than 30 percent,” Daines said alongside his fellow Republican senators. “Today the meth that is getting into Montana is Mexican cartel. It has purities north of 95 percent. Far more dangerous, far more addictive, and it’s less expensive.”

Sen. Steve Daines: “Twenty years ago in Montana, meth was homemade. It was homegrown. And you had purity levels less than 30%. Today the meth that is getting into Montana is Mexican cartel.” pic.twitter.com/Xtu1geaVxJ

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) March 26, 2021

FINALLY, a Washington politician who will stand up for the mom and pop meth shops of Montana! It’s so refreshing to see a republican finally support small businesses instead of sucking up to corporations. If you look closer in the video, you can see Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) stifling a laugh during Daines’ self-serious speech.

Daines’ bizarre “think global, shop local” approach to the methamphetamine crisis currently ravaging his home state quickly caught fire on social media, where the jokes came fast and furious:

My dad was a meth farmer, and his dad was a meth farmer, and thanks to cheap imports last year they had to declare bankruptcy and sell the meth farm.

— Erin Zero Republicans Ryan (@morninggloria) March 27, 2021

Is he upset Montana’s are purchasing Mexican meth and not the homegrown? 🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️ https://t.co/zAD8DS6VBp

— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) March 27, 2021

Remember the good old days when we made our own meth? Now the Mexicans have taken away those jobs. Steve Daines, Senator from Montana remembers. #AmericaFirst pic.twitter.com/JRh6M1rHE9

— Hoodlum 🇺🇸 (@NotHoodlum) March 27, 2021

“The good ole days — back when we made our OWN meth.” https://t.co/PXtmUgw26J

— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) March 26, 2021

Steve Daines: I’m here at the border to sound the alarm on the crisis of imported meth.

Whatever happened to meth that’s MADE IN AMERICA, amiright? https://t.co/OZeDxBUzsP

— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) March 26, 2021

Steve Daines is upset that Mexico has usurped good old American meth with purer product. https://t.co/KppU002fyL

— Helen Kennedy (@HelenKennedy) March 26, 2021

So Sen. Daines wants to make meth great again? 🥴 https://t.co/XwTxPLtmTT

— Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (@malcolmkenyatta) March 27, 2021

I’m still thinking about Steve Danes complaining about how the Mexican meth is beating out the homemade American meth.

— Molly Jong-Fast🏡 (@MollyJongFast) March 27, 2021

https://t.co/kAWBDmcAM4 pic.twitter.com/HiMbNWsbYY

— Steve Morris (@stevemorris__) March 26, 2021

I know we spend a lot of time here at The Mary Sue making fun of republicans, but how can we not? They make it SO easy. This is absolute clownery from top to bottom, as is this entire photo op of a border trip. Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to harvest some of my organic, all-natural, farm-to-table meth. America(n meth) first!

(via HuffPost, featured image: AMC)

Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site!

—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—

The post Montana Senator Steve Daines Yearns for the Days of Homegrown Meth first appeared on The Mary Sue.