Vermin Supreme

Vermin Supreme – Life, Performance, and Political Satire

Learn about Vermin Supreme (born June 1, 1961), American performance artist, activist, and perennial political satire candidate. Explore his biography, persona, campaigns, philosophy, and influence on political theater.

Introduction

Vermin Supreme is a unique figure in American culture: part performance artist, part political agitator, part satirist. He is best known for his outlandish campaign promises—like giving a pony to every American or enacting compulsory tooth brushing laws—and his flamboyant stage persona. Though often dismissed as a joke candidate, Supreme’s work probes serious questions about power, governance, and political spectacle. His life merges art and activism in a kind of "guerrilla politics" that uses absurdity to critique the absurdities of conventional politics.

Early Life and Background

Vermin Supreme was born Vermin Love Supreme (legal name formerly Scott Taylor) on June 1, 1961 in Rockport, Massachusetts. Gloucester High School in 1979.

After high school, Supreme moved to Baltimore, Maryland to attend the Maryland Institute College of Art, but dropped out before completing his studies.

In the 1990s, he legally changed his name to Vermin Supreme.

Persona, Style, and Methods

Vermin Supreme’s identity is inseparable from his performative costume and theater of politics. His hallmark props and visual trademarks include:

• A Wellington boot worn on his head as a hat.

• A giant toothbrush, which he carries often as a campaign prop.

• Multiple ties or eccentric clothing, and a sort of circus-style rhetoric.

In interviews and campaign appearances, Supreme frames his proposals as satirical exaggerations meant to illuminate real systemic absurdities. For example, his promise to mandate brushing teeth is less about hygiene and more a metaphor for forced compliance and bureaucratic overreach.

He self-identifies as a political prankster, a performance artist who “runs for office to make people think and laugh.”

Political Campaigns & Activities

Though his campaigns are often called “novelty,” they span decades and multiple party affiliations.

Early Campaigns & Local Runs

Supreme’s first forays into electoral politics date to the late 1980s. In 1987, he ran for Mayor of Baltimore.

He also participated in the Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament in 1986, showing his early interest in activist causes.

Presidential and National Campaigns

Since 1992, Supreme has repeatedly appeared in presidential elections (as a satirical or symbolic candidate). Key milestones:

• 2004: Ran in the Washington, D.C. Democratic primary, receiving 149 votes.

• 2008: Entered the New Hampshire Republican primary, obtaining 41 votes.

• 2012: Ran in the Democratic primaries. During that cycle, he staged a “glitter bomb” protest of candidate Randall Terry during a forum.

• 2020: He sought the Libertarian Party nomination and ran campaigns in multiple states.

• 2024: Supreme again entered the presidential race in the Democratic primary, achieving ballot access in New Hampshire and placing fifth with about 0.7% of the primary vote there.

Through these campaigns, he has switched party affiliations multiple times: Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, and independent.

“Right to Pony” Protest

In December 2017, during a Hillary Clinton book tour in New Hampshire, Supreme staged a protest asserting a “right to pony,” attempting to bring an actual pony to the event.

Philosophy, Critique, and Themes

Though often dismissed as comedic, Vermin Supreme’s work carries deeper critique:

• Satire of political theater: His exaggerated promises shine a spotlight on how real political campaigns often make implausible promises.

• Challenge to authority: He identifies with anarchist or social anarchist sentiment, critiquing hierarchical systems.

• Performance as dissent: By turning politics into theatrical spectacle, he undermines expectations of decorum and invites reflection on the nature of civic participation.

• Blurring art and activism: His campaigns function as long-term performance pieces rather than purely electoral bids.

In some media, he describes his campaigns as both art and social commentary. As one article put it, he’s a figure who “slides between seriousness and clowning” to make more people think about what it means to run for office.

Challenges, Criticism & Impact

Vermin Supreme’s approach is controversial and polarizing:

• Critics may view him as trivializing politics or not being serious enough to contribute to real solutions.

• Supporters argue that his absurdism reveals truths that normal politics hides.

• His repeated runs have rarely garnered significant vote totals, which limits direct electoral influence.

• But he's built a recognizable brand in political satire, inspired other political jesters, and sparked conversation about the boundaries between performance, protest, and politics.

The 2014 documentary Who Is Vermin Supreme? An Outsider Odyssey followed his 2012 campaign and helped bring his story to wider audiences.

Personality & Public Persona

Supreme projects a playful, provocative, theatrical persona. He embraces labels like “friendly fascist” as ironic statements, challenging serious political labels by twisting them in absurd parody.

In interviews he often reflects on the tension between comedy and seriousness—how the persona disguises sometimes blunt commentary. His voice is energetic, unpredictable, and committed to disrupting expectations.

He also incorporates audience interaction, media stunts, humor, and spectacle as part of his strategy.

Selected Quotes & Statements

Vermin Supreme is more known for slogans than aphorisms, but a few representative lines include:

• He has said that if elected president, he would pass a law requiring all Americans to brush their teeth.

• He often promises a “pony for every American.”

• In a Teen Vogue profile: “If I didn’t have the boot … it would be easy to ignore me.” — his approach to using the costume to be taken seriously.

Though not traditional philosophical quotes, these statements encapsulate his method: using the absurd to probe how politics deals (or fails) with sincerity, spectacle, and public expectations.

Legacy & Influence

Vermin Supreme occupies a niche but intriguing space in American political culture:

• He has helped popularize the idea of political performance art—where campaigns themselves are art actions.

• He encourages citizens (especially younger ones) to question political norms, narratives, and official promises.

• His persona has become a kind of meme in political satire circles.

• Though few take him as a serious candidate, his constant presence underscores how theatrical, performative, and symbolic politics often already are.

While not a mainstream political force, his long persistence suggests he sees value not in winning office but in changing how people perceive political possibility.