YouTuber Nick Shirley became a viral sensation overnight after posting a 42-minute video documenting his hunt for fraudulent child care programs in Minnesota.
Shirley’s video has been viewed more than 100 million times on the social platform X and shows him visiting day care centers receiving public funds.
The 23-year-old alleged that multiple local centers were not providing services to any children and bombarded employees with questions about children’s whereabouts on camera outside of each location.
The vlog-style recording has blown up online after a federal investigation involving Minnesota’s fraudulent Feeding Our Future nonprofit was determined to be diverting millions in funds for low-income children during the pandemic. A group of Somali American immigrants were charged in connection to the scam, although a white woman was found to be the program’s ringleader.
MAGA praise
Shirley’s video was thrown into the political crossfire by the MAGA base and Trump administration officials who have magnified the North Star State’s issue with fraud.
Vice President Vance praised Shirley for approaching day care center leaders while on the job and pressing them with questions.
“This dude has done far more useful journalism than any of the winners of the 2024 @pulitzercenter prizes,” Vance wrote in a post on X.
FBI Director Kash Patel also weighed in.
“The FBI believes this is just the tip of a very large iceberg. We will continue to follow the money and protect children, and this investigation very much remains ongoing,” Patel wrote in a Sunday post on X.
Shirley’s ties to President Trump officials are not new. Earlier this year, he attended an antifa roundtable at the White House to discuss the antifa movement, which was later deemed a terrorist organization by the Trump administration.
Claims to be a journalist
Shirley has received pushback from some traditional members of the media for claiming to be a journalist. He has no background in the field of reporting but is well known for his viral videos addressing political topics, interviewing people and sharing commentary on world events.
His YouTube channel’s last few videos include one titled “Inside the Muslim vs Christian Battle Growing in America” and one titled “Confronting The Deported Migrant Scammers in NYC.”
Last year, he shared footage inside of El Salvador’s CECOT maximum security prison.
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