Two Democrat Senate candidates will fundraise next Monday with a filmmaker who called the United States a “sh*thole” one day before America’s 250th birthday.
James Talarico of Texas and Sherrod Brown of Ohio are holding a New York City fundraiser with jewelry designer turned activist filmmaker Alexis Bittar at the top of the host committee. Actor Robert De Niro is hosting the event, which charges attendees between $500 and $27,000.
The high-dollar fundraiser highlights the increasingly intertwined relationship between Hollywood activists and Democrat Senate campaigns in competitive races. Both Talarico and Brown face uphill battles in states that have trended Republican in recent election cycles, making national fundraising networks particularly crucial to their campaign strategies.
Bittar made the inflammatory remarks during a July 3 interview about his documentary “Reclaim the Flag.”
“I mean, I have three kids, and they’re little, and they’re growing up in this sh*thole. So if we don’t do something now, we’re f*cked.”
The timing of Bittar’s comments—just one day before Independence Day celebrations marking the nation’s 250th anniversary—amplified the controversy surrounding his statement. The semiquincentennial represented a significant milestone in American history, with commemorations planned nationwide.
Bittar co-produced the 33-minute film with Oscar-winning filmmaker Bruce Cohen. The documentary casts the American flag as “synonymous with fear” and a source of victimization for the LGBT community.
“It’s become such a symbol of aggression, the American flag, like ‘we’re coming for you’ during Trump’s era,” Bittar told Forbes. “How tragic is this, like this is where we’re at that the ultimate symbol of the United States is now used as a weapon to bifurcate?”
The documentary represents a broader cultural debate about patriotic symbols and their meaning in contemporary American politics. Questions about who can claim ownership of national iconography have intensified in recent years, with various political movements attempting to redefine or reclaim traditional symbols.
The film features musician King Princess describing her view of the American flag: “When you walk past a house that has an American flag stoked in a yard, your immediate thought as a queer person is ‘I am not welcome here,’ that it’s a sign of bigotry and it’s a sign of fear.”
Other interviewees in Bittar’s documentary described the stars and stripes as a “violent symbol of hatred.” One claimed people who fly the American flag would intentionally try to hit gay people with their cars.
The stark characterizations presented in the film stand in contrast to traditional American civic discourse, which has historically viewed the flag as a unifying symbol transcending partisan divisions. The documentary’s perspective represents a significant departure from conventional patriotic messaging typically embraced by candidates seeking statewide office.
The Brooklyn-based jeweler has deep ties to Democrat fundraising circles. He helped raise money to elect New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who then appointed Bittar to his Arts and Culture Transition Committee.
Bittar’s trajectory from jewelry design to political activism illustrates the evolving role of cultural figures in campaign finance. His access to wealthy donor networks in New York’s arts community makes him a valuable asset for candidates seeking to tap into progressive fundraising infrastructure outside their home states.
Now Bittar is extending his reach into Senate races. In August, he posted a selfie with Talarico, calling the Texas Democrat a “massive force” who could help flip the Senate blue.
“I love how this man can quote the bible to shut down so called ‘Christian Republicans’ ashamed of their actions they are taking against U.S. citizens,” Bittar said in an Instagram post. “I will be helping him out in the coming months to become the next Senator of Texas.”
Talarico is running to flip a traditionally red Texas seat. Brown, the former Ohio senator, is mounting a comeback challenge in another red-state battleground.
The association with Bittar could complicate both candidates’ efforts to appeal to moderate and independent voters in their respective states. Texas and Ohio both maintain strong traditions of patriotic sentiment, and criticism of American symbols has historically proven politically challenging in red-leaning battlegrounds. The fundraiser forces both campaigns to balance the need for financial resources with potential messaging complications in their home states.
The Talarico and Brown campaigns did not respond to requests for comment.
Robert De Niro is headlining a joint fundraiser for James Talarico and Sherrod Brown later this month, per invite. pic.twitter.com/iXuMMF7rCO
— Teddy Schleifer (@teddyschleifer) September 19, 2026
