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Republican Rollan Roberts II was criticized online for his slow reaction to his pregnant wife fainting as he announced a 2024 presidential bid.
Roberts, a West Virginia businessman seeking the Republican nomination for President in 2024, was in the middle of extolling the virtues of our "free enterprise system" when his wife Rebecca—who is five months pregnant—fainted in the rotunda of West Virginia's Capitol building.
A man standing next to Rebecca Roberts caught her before her head hit the floor, knocking over an American flag in the process.
But Roberts himself merely stood there and even tried to continue with his speech, only turning to tend to his wife after a few more excruciating seconds had passed.
You can watch what happened in the video below.
\u201cIt\u2019s real: \n\n\u201d— Santiago Mayer (@Santiago Mayer) 1674705138
Roberts' slow response was quickly mocked by social media users and at least one person dubbed him #QuickResponseRoberts.
\u201cHe\u2019s literally the last person in the shot to go check on his own wife. Hell, someone even comes from off-camera before he moves. \n\nPriorities. \ud83d\ude44\ud83d\ude44\ud83d\ude44\u201d— Char Mar Superstar (@Char Mar Superstar) 1674769834
\u201cAnother republican announcing for 2024. Demonstrating in real time that his ambition trumps any concern or care for his pregnant wife. I hope she was not "corrected" by him for distracting from his big moment. He was practically the last to go to her aid.\u201d— Layla-who-has-lost-patience-with-evil-people (@Layla-who-has-lost-patience-with-evil-people) 1674759458
\u201c\ud83d\ude33 #QuickResponseRoberts this isn't a good look\u201d— AndiM she/her (@AndiM she/her) 1674760967
\u201cIf Republican disrespect for women was a video....\u201d— \u2622\ufe0fThe Playa Slaya\u2622\ufe0f (@\u2622\ufe0fThe Playa Slaya\u2622\ufe0f) 1674763356
\u201cThis is disgusting. There is no excuse for waiting that long to go to your pregnant WIFE after she drops to the floor. Dude's a scumbag.\u201d— Diana Prince (@Diana Prince) 1674764579
\u201cI would be the first person next to my wife if I saw her passing out and not staring at her, tf\u201d— Nefarious Filth Bird \ud83d\udea9\ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddf4\ud83c\udded\ud83c\uddf9\u2622\ufe0f\u26a1\ufe0f (@Nefarious Filth Bird \ud83d\udea9\ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddf4\ud83c\udded\ud83c\uddf9\u2622\ufe0f\u26a1\ufe0f) 1674764894
\u201cWas that his wife? He didn't move from the podium for a good long while. Yikes!\u201d— Monica \ud83c\udf3b (@Monica \ud83c\udf3b) 1674768395
\u201cUh, Mr. Wannabe president should have been the first one to run to his wife\u2019s side. Were I her I would run to divorce court.\u201d— Mana (@Mana) 1674768879
\u201cHe probably thought his wife was faking \ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude02\u201d— Licksy RN (@Licksy RN) 1674769773
Roberts is the son of West Virginia State Senator Rollan Roberts, who said that while his son's campaign announcement was a surprise, he is nonetheless supportive of him and others who "have the right skill set to help Americans and not just get into these special interests debates and divisive behaviors."
The younger Roberts said much of his campaign will focus on reducing the national deficit because the United States is "broke" and infrastructure pales in comparison to what he saw and experienced while traveling in places like the United Arab Emirates and South Korea.
He is also campaigning on fixing public education by changing the time children start and end their school days and making bachelor's degrees run parallel with high school education to increase opportunities for graduates.
Complicating Roberts' newly announced campaign—aside from the fact he stood by and continued speaking as his wife fell to the ground—is his low profile outside of West Virginia, where his father, a pastor, has been an administrator at Victory Baptist Academy in Raleigh County since 1988.