A Republican congressman-elect of Virginia praised attendees of a pro-Trump march in Washington, D.C. Saturday for not wearing masks amid what he called a “phony” coronavirus pandemic.
Republican Bob Good, elected last month to represent Virginia’s largest 5th Congressional District in the House, spoke to the crowd while wearing a “Trump 2020” campaign hat and said the coronavirus crisis does not amount to a pandemic. The soon-to-be lawmaker’s remarks come just days after Johns Hopkins marked the deadliest day yet of the pandemic and a total of 300,000 dead from COVID-19 across the country. The maskless Good shook hands with the man who introduced him and addressed the “Stop the Steal” rallygoers Saturday afternoon.
Holy shit. Congressman-elect Bob Good of Virginia starts speaking and immediately proclaims, “this looks like a group of people that gets it. This is a phony pandemic.” pic.twitter.com/xre4DWslGW
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 12, 2020
“I can’t tell you how great it is to look out there and see your faces. This looks like a group of people that get that this is a phony pandemic,” Good said, as several attendees offered raucous applause.
“It’s a serious virus, but it’s a virus, it’s not a pandemic. It’s great to see your faces, you get it. You stand up against tyranny. Thank you for being here today, thank you for saying ‘no’ to the insanity,” the congressman-elect continued, speaking at the Freedom Plaza event.
Good went on to say that the people of the 5th Congressional District in Virginia elected him to “stand up for the constitution” when he assumes office next month. Good defeated Democratic candidate Cameron Webb after being endorsed personally by president Donald Trump during the contentious campaign. Webb, who lost by about 20,000 votes, or 5 percent of the vote, had been endorsed by former President Barack Obama and was being aided by national Democratic groups.
Good, 54, is a graduate of Liberty University and was formerly a branch manager at CitiFinancial. Like many Republican congressional candidates this election cycle, Good repeatedly touted Trump’s economic policy during his campaign and said he supports the president’s agenda entirely. Good capitalized on far-right criticism of incumbent Republican Rep. Denver Riggleman, who was blasted by some for officiating a same-sex marriage between two of his staffers earlier this year. Good claimed Riggleman was out of touch with conservative values.
“This was a victory for true conservative principles at the end of the day,” Good said at his victory party at Liberty University, the evangelical Christian college in Lynchburg, Virginia, last month. “This will be a victory for the nation’s founding Judeo-Christian principles. And this will be a victory for religious liberty, and the importance of faith and family.”
Newsweek reached out to Good’s office for additional remarks about his Trump rally comments Saturday evening.
Republican Bob Good, elected last month to represent Virginia’s largest 5th Congressional District in the House, praised attendees at a pro-Trump “stop the steal” march Saturday for not wearing masks, and suggested COVID doesn’t amount to a pandemic. Screenshot: C-Span | Twitter
