The first Republican to challenge former President Donald Trump to become the party’s 2024 presidential nominee was criticized during his announcement.
The wife of West Virginia businessman Rollan Roberts II fainted during his announcement ceremony at the state capitol January 20. Roberts’ reaction may make him the first Republican to get criticized faster than Donald Trump.
Rebecca Roberts is five months pregnant and began to visibly sway during her husband’s speech before collapsing to the floor. The businessman did not see her swaying because she was part of a group standing behind him. The sound of her falling prompted him to turn and look in her direction.
Roberts turned his torso in her direction while both hands continued to grasp the sides of the lectern he stood behind. After a few seconds he walks toward his fallen wife, but that brief delay in response drew criticism.
“You probably missed this but another Republican announced he was running for President while his pregnant wife literally passed out in the background,” quipped Voters of Tomorrow Executive Director Santiago Mayer
Voice actor Christian Lanz responded to Mayer’s Twitter post: “I love that no fewer than four people went to her aid before he bothered to.”
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Critics were not content to excoriate the West Virginia businessman for not acting quicker in an emergency. They pounced on an edited video of the announcement posted to YouTube that cut Mrs. Roberts’ fainting spell.
“He has a YouTube video of the speech on his page but edited out the poor woman passing out,” Strike Back Sit Rep podcast host Deb Foster sarcastically said in a Twitter post. “But at least someone got her a chair so she could complete her duty.”
A follower of Foster echoed similar sentiments.
“Another OMG,” said the unverified account using the name Terry Costa. “He made her sit while he finished his speech. Seems the priority would be to get his pregnant wife some medical attention and postpone his speech. This is not someone I’d want to lead our country if he can’t even care for his wife.”
It’s unclear if Mrs. Roberts is a Tammy Wynette fan but she was quick to stand by her man.
“I was standing behind him, and given the movement all around us throughout the announcement, there was no way for him to see what was happening,” the candidate’s wife said in a statement. “If people would watch the full video, they’ll see him move towards me within seconds once he saw what was happening, and that he is the one that helped me up, stopped the press conference, and spent minutes with the medical team to see if we would even continue.”
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