Democrat congressman dragged for ‘weird’ TikTok ‘aura farming’ trend video

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., got in on TikTok’s "aura farming" trend, posting a clip of himself dancing solo in the congressional subway, captioned "omw to hold this administration accountable."In the short clip, Subramanyam appears on the House subway wearing sunglasses, striking poses and waving his arms before locking in on the camera.

Subramanyam's "aura farming" appears to have backfired, with some commenters calling it out as tone-deaf, hypocritical and "cringe."

Left-leaning viewers frustrated with perceived inaction from Democrats under President Donald Trump took aim at the VA-10 congressman in the comment section. One of the top-liked comments asked flatly, "By doing nothing…?" Another read, "Representatives have got to stop doing this. Actually do something."THE REVOLUTION WILL BE LIVESTREAMED: HOW ZOHRAN MAMDANI WON THE NYC PRIMARY ONLINE

Many commenters linked the post to Subramanyam’s past voting record, including his controversial decision against his party just weeks ago not to move forward with a House impeachment resolution against Trump.

On June 24, 2025, Subramanyam voted to table (i.e., block) a resolution to impeach President Trump over "high crimes and misdemeanors." The resolution was introduced by Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, but was halted by a wide House majority.

Several comments mocked the tone and delivery of the video. One read, "-1000 aura," while another said, "Our taxpayer money hard at work…" Another commenter wrote, "So what exactly are you on your way to do? Because so far democrats have not really done anything at all."A top comment simply read, "This feels weird idk."FAR-LEFT LAWMAKER BREAKS SILENCE AFTER UNEARTHED SOCIAL MEDIA POST IGNITES FIRESTORM

One lengthy reply said, "Not trying to be disrespectful. But? Less of this sh--. More fire on the floor please. I get wanting to do outreach. But this? Isn’t the action an average American needs from their representatives right now. We’re approaching no taxation without representation territory here. Do better." Another suggested, "Introduce a new amendment for every one performative TikTok a Congress person posts they have to cosign 3 bills that work to limit the power of money in politics."

Subramanyam, a former tech advisor in the Obama White House and the first South Asian elected to Virginia’s General Assembly, has gained a reputation as a more moderate Democrat. He won Virginia’s 10th District in 2024 and often plays up his immigrant roots in political messaging.

The "aura farming" trend, popular among Gen Z and Gen Alpha, refers to pulling off effortless, cool gestures usually while standing still. It took off after a now-viral video of 11-year-old Indonesian boy Rayyan Arkan Dikha danced stone-faced and confident while wearing sunglasses aboard a racing boat.Most "aura farming" clips on TikTok are soundtracked to "Young Black & Rich" by Melly Mike, which includes the lyric "I ain't even gon' get mad, I'm young, black and rich."Fox News Digital reached out to Subramanyam’s office and TikTok for comment.