The Slatest

Georgia State Lawmaker Crowd-Surfs at Trump Rally Without a Face Mask

President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally on October 16, 2020 in Macon, Georgia.
President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally on October 16, 2020 in Macon, Georgia. Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

At a time when experts are warning that Georgia is on the verge of joining the list of states with aggressive COVID-19 outbreaks, President Donald Trump held a rally in Macon where many of those attending decided to eschew masks. One of those who decided to go maskless was Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones, a Democrat who is a staunch Trump supporter. Jones went further and decided to crowd-surf over other maskless Trump supporters.

Jones was quickly criticized on social media for the stunt, but he remained defiant: “Yes, I surfed that crowd! To the haters - stay mad! You’ll be even more mad come November 3rd!” Jones last made national news when he spoke at the Republican National Convention in support of Trump. “The Democratic Party does not want Black people to leave the mental plantation they’ve had us on for decades,” he said. “But I have news for them: We are free people with free minds.”

Jones briefly resigned his seat in April after he announced his support for Trump, but he changed his mind a day later and said he would serve the rest of his term after receiving what he characterized as an “overwhelming amount of support.”