Rep. John Rose may never give a more memorable speech on the House floor, but not for anything said by the Tennessee Republican on Monday.
Instead, during a rather mundane legislative day filled with naming new post offices and other routine measures, viewers of C-SPAN were captivated by the antics of a young boy sitting behind Rose. Initially, the boy caught attention by looking straight into the cameras, flashing a broad smile.
After zoning out briefly, he regained focus, pulling funny faces complete with tongue-out poses, eye rolls, head shakes, and expressive hand motions. This bored yet amusing behavior left TV viewers in no doubt about his lack of enthusiasm for the stuffy formalities of the House of Representatives. (PHOTOS)
Before anyone knew it, six-year-old Guy Rose, the Congressman’s son, was fast turning into a social media sensation and meme – just a week after graduating from kindergarten. Guy, along with his father, is spending the week at the Capitol, while Sam, Rep. Rose’s three-year-old son, and his wife, Chelsea, remain in Tennessee.
Doug Andres, spokesperson for Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell, couldn’t resist commenting on the youthful shenanigans, tweeting “He knows something,” accompanied by a screenshot of young Guy making a triangle with his hands in front of his face.
“So sorry I was slow responding to your email, I was tied up watching this over and over again,” tweeted Aaron Fritschner, Rep. Don Beyer’s, D-Va communications director. Meanwhile, completely oblivious, Rep. Rose proceeded to deliver his speech – a fervent effort against last week’s conviction of former President Donald Trump in a New York court.
“I rise today to address the terrible precedent set in our country four days ago, using the justice system to engage in a politically driven prosecution and now conviction of a major political party nominee running for president, especially on the charges brought against Donald Trump — should gravely concern every member of this body, as well as every American across our country,” Rep. Rose began his speech.
“Regardless of one’s opinion of the current Republican nominee, we’d be well served to remember the long and cherished tradition we have in this country of settling our political differences at the ballot box for nearly two and a half centuries,” he continued as his son spotted the cameras.
While Guy pulled a series of faces, Rep. Rose went on: “As an attorney, I can tell you that May 30th will be among the more infamous dates in American history.” In response to feedback after his speech, the congressman did not seem bothered. He accepted some culpability with grace. “This is what I get for telling my son Guy to smile at the camera for his little brother,” Rose tweeted.
