Meet the troll who is on Red Sox fans hit list

A talented 21-year old who is going places

Apr 23, 2026

It started with a picture. Fenway Park at sunset under the beautiful pink stripe of clouds, the two decks below the giant press box filled with little dots of color—fans. Above the ballpark, the words “Worth Fighting For” in white painted on the pale blue sky. During the week of Patriots Day, the unique Massachusetts holiday when the Boston Marathon is run, an image like this might be encouraging to Bostonians and Red Sox nation fanatics. But context matters, and in our politically split country, it matters a whole lot.

The image was posted to the X account of the Department of Homeland Security, with the tag line “Our nation and our people are worth fighting for.” Hoo boy, it got a scorching reception. From the Boston Globe:

“This is our [expletive] city, and nobody is going to dictate our freedom,” Representative Seth Moulton, a Salem Democrat, wrote on his repost of the DHS meme. His comment echoed David Ortiz’s famous declaration in the first Sox game at Fenway after the 2013 Marathon bombing.

Oh, and the timing: the post was scheduled for 6:30pm, 15 minutes before the first pitch of a nationally televised Red Sox game against the hated New York Yankees. I have to think it was done on purpose. The Globe contacted the DHS for comment:

“America’s homeland and the rich heritage of its national pastime should fill every citizen with a sense of pride,” said a DHS spokesperson in response to Globe questions. “Our unique achievements in sports and culture are worth defending, and DHS will continue to promote Americanism in the public square.”

Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass), chimed in:

“They were once again targeting us and Fenway Park and this place, which does reflect the uniform resistance that we have to the authoritarian king,” Markey said.

Trolling Massachusetts, a political hive-mind of Democrats, progressives, and various stripes of socialists, using DHS and simple imagery, seems easy, but I think it’s a skill to come up with just the right thing. As a boomer, I lack this skill. My social media talents are non-existent. But the guy who’s posting this stuff is talented.

I decided to look him up.

His name is Peyton Rollins, he’s 21 years old, and a student at George Washington University. Here’s his government picture

Peyton Rollins, Image Source: Legistorm.com

Rollins is the Digital Communications Director for DHS. Before that, he was the Digital Content Manager for the U.S. Department of Labor, where he used his graphic and social media skills to post some attention-getting content. Prior to that, according to his LinkedIn profile and his resume on SquareSpace, Rollins was a digital assistant for (former) Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who is the now-sacked former Secretary of Labor, a press intern for South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, a press intern for the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, and an intern for Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC).

Quite the achievement list for a kid who’s barely old enough to drink a glass of wine.

A 2022 graduate of James F. Byrnes High School in the tiny town of Duncan, S.C., Rollins received the $1000 Blair Beasley Scholarship, as a theater kid, appearing in the One Act Play Festival, “Gutenberg: The Musical!”. In 2021, he won All Star Cast accolades in “All My Sons.” It’s no small thing to overcome stage fright and appear in one of these high school plays. I know for a fact, as one of our friends’ kids is doing the same thing in Georgia.

Peyton Rollins has another skill: photography and video creation. He’s got a website (peytonrollins.com) where he posts his portfolio. It’s not bad. You might not agree with his politics, but I find 21-year-olds, when they are 40, almost never agree with their young selves either.

I said all this to make a point.

This political climate will not last forever. Some think the U.S. may be on the edge of a “tipping point” or precipice where we’ve deformed the mode and institutions of our federal government beyond their ability to snap back. But I don’t think we’re there yet, or even close to there. This country suffered a terrible civil war and recovered the Union. Some trolling social media, MAGA takeover of the executive branch, and lording over the military like they are toy soldiers is not a permanent feature of our Constitutional Republic.

Remember, the 10th Amendment limits the power of the federal government, and yields all other powers to the states, and the people. It’s the people who get the final say, and I’d say, by what I’m seeing election-wise, they’re about to have the last word. Getting the ire of Massachusetts politicians using an image of Fenway Park, that’s a skill thing.

I support young Peyton Rollins. He has a skill set perfect for the 21st century, and he’s not scared to work the political system, at the same time he’s attending college to gain an education and a degree. More power to him and those like him. If the Trump years can produce ore of this (yes, even those we disagree with), then the country is not lost. Education can produce rational and critical thinkers, who when they see some of the messes people like Lori Chavez-DeRemer leave in their wake, will act to rein in the worst of our grifters and instincts. In other words, I’d rather have Rollins than the execrable Nick Fuentes.

We should all look at each other through a human lens, not a political lens. People like Peyton Rollins should be praised, even if his job means posting government propaganda online—as if the Obama administration, which pioneered this kind of thing, did anything different.

Plus, what’s so bad about “Worth Fighting For” over Fenway Park? It is worth fighting for. Anyone who wants to tear that place down is going to have to fight me first (and many other fans). Now if Rollins had posted a Yankees picture 15 minutes before that game, that’s a different story. I may have written a completely different post (I kid).

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