Teenager who was cyberbullied by GOP governor’s campaign says it’s 'something that Donald Trump would do'

Anderson Cooper 360 Monday was joined by 17-year-old high school senior Ethan Lynne, who on Saturday was attacked by the Twitter account run by new Republican governor of Virginia Glenn Youngkin’s campaign.

“I was surprised. I could not believe this was real,” Lynne said. “I never thought we would get to the place where a governor is attacking his constituents online. That's something that Donald Trump would do. He promised he would be different than Trump and take out — and our politics have become too toxic.”

The now-deleted tweet from Youngkin’s campaign showed a picture of Lynne with former Virginia Governor Ralph Northam with a reminder of Northam’s racially insensitive younger days. It came in response to a story Lynne posted from a local television station about a historian resigning from the governor’s mansion that may have painted Youngkin in a negative light. On Monday, Youngkin posted a tweet stating that the campaign’s post was unauthorized, but that didn’t go far enough for Lynne.

“I thought it was a non-apology. He’s just sorry that the whole situation happened, he’s not actually sorry for what was said,” Lynne said. “He didn't even take credit that it was his campaign team account, he said that it was a campaign account and did not strongly condemn the situation in any way, shape, or form.”

Video Transcript

ETHAN LYNNE: I never thought we would get to the place where a governor is attacking his constituents online. That's something that Donald Trump would do. He promised he will be different than Trump and take out-- and that our politics have become too toxic. So not only do I hope he apologizes, I hope he condemns what happens in a stronger way.

KYLIE MAR: On Anderson Cooper 360 Monday, with guest host John Berman, 17-year-old high school student Ethan Lynne joined the show to speak about being attacked on Twitter on Saturday by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin's campaign account in a now deleted tweet. On Monday, Governor Youngkin posted a tweet saying that it was unauthorized, but Lynne says that's not enough.

ETHAN LYNNE: I thought it was a non-apology. He's just sorry that the whole situation happened. He's not actually sorry for what was said. He didn't even take credit that it was his campaign team account. He just said that it was a campaign account and did not strongly condemn the situation in any way, shape, or form.

KYLIE MAR: The tweet from the Youngkin campaign came in response to Lynne posting a story from a local station about a historian resigning from the governor's mansion. Lynne believes it's beneath the Office of the governor.

ETHAN LYNNE: I've been active in politics from a young age. But whether I'm a Democrat or not, active or not, Governor Youngkin should not be attacking or cyberbullying his constituents online. He promised he will be different as governor, and unfortunately, he's been proven wrong by this.

KYLIE MAR: And Lynne said he'd like a real apology from Youngkin.

ETHAN LYNNE: I would like an apology to me and my family. But the only way to stop this is by publicly condemning this type of bullying and rhetoric in politics. The governor should be setting a better example for students like me.