Ellen DeGeneres, LeBron James, and several other major celebrities are gushing over Texas Democratic Senate candidate, Rep. Beto O’Rourke, after his response to a question about protesting NFL players went viral this week.
O’Rourke’s stance on NFL players protesting during the national anthem came in response to a question at a recent town hall. The U.S. Representative for Texas’ 16th congressional district was asked by a young man whether he found the national anthem protests disrespectful.
The 45-year-old Senate hopeful responded that he can “think of nothing more American” and discussed several peaceful protests throughout our country’s history that compared to the NFL players taking a knee together.
Here’s O’Rourke’s full reply, courtesy of Now This.
‘I can think of nothing more American.’ — Beto O'Rourke — the man taking on Ted Cruz — brilliantly explains why NFL players kneeling during the anthem is not disrespectful pic.twitter.com/bEqOAYpxEL
— NowThis Impact (@nowthisimpact) August 21, 2018
The video gained momentum after O’Rourke’s adversary in the upcoming election, Sen. Ted Cruz, recently commented on it during a campaign stop in Corpus Christi, Texas.
“When Beto O’Rourke says he can’t think of anything more American, well I got to tell you, I can,” Cruz said.
James, Ellen, and others rushed to support O’Rourke and retweeted his statement to their millions of followers.
I would like to meet you, @BetoORourke. https://t.co/rz0XAKbH5w
— Ellen DeGeneres (@EllenDeGeneres) August 22, 2018
A Must Watch!!! 🙏🏾💪🏾💯‼️ Salute @BetoORourke for the candid thoughtful words! https://t.co/E1YrbqGciZ
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 23, 2018
https://twitter.com/PattyArquette/status/1032425604178538497
Vote for @BetoORourke https://t.co/QO6hlIi71E
— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) August 24, 2018
Fellow Texans Lance Armstrong and NFL star Arian Foster are likewise showing public support for O’Rourke. Foster appeared with O’Rourke at a rally on Thursday, and later that night Armstrong made a bold Twitter endorsement: “[M]y fellow Texans, we have a choice. This guy or @tedcruz. It’s time for reasonable and balanced talk on ALL issues – here’s one snippet. WE are for @BetoORourke!”
Parkland parents and NBC directors are also on board.
According to the Hill, O’Rourke has not yet confirmed whether he plans to appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
H/T the Hill