WH Hopeful Blasted for Slow Response to Pregnant Wife Fainting as He Announced Presidential Bid
A Republican White House hopeful is taking heat on social media for his slow response to his pregnant wife fainting as he announced his intention to run for president.
On Jan. 20, West Virginia businessman Rollan Roberts II held a press conference at the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston to announce that he was running for president.
But in the middle of his speech, his announcement took an unexpected turn when his wife Rebecca Lea Roberts, who is five months pregnant, wobbled and fainted behind him, taking down an American flag with her as she collapsed.
As she lay on the ground, several aides ran to attend to her, while Roberts himself merely glanced at her and stood motionless for five seconds before calmly walking over to help her.
According to the West Virginia Daily News, after first responders tended to his wife, Roberts thanked them, as well as God, saying, “Can we give a hand to the medical team for their assistance? She (Rebecca) is five months pregnant. Her blood pressure is fine, so we thank the Lord for this.”
While it is a relief that his wife is OK, many people on Twitter blasted Roberts for his slow response to his wife’s condition, seemingly being more concerned with the speech and with his campaign than with the life of his wife and unborn child.
What a miserable human being: apparently driving ambition overcomes all other human emotion for Rollan Roberts. If it were a stranger who collapsed, his (lack of) response would have been shocking. That it was his pregnant wife, moves it to appalling.
— Elizabeth Whitehead (@WhitehElizabeth) January 26, 2023
Why is Rollan Roberts the last person to respond as his pregnant wife collapses to the ground? Is his announcement to run for president more important than the welfare of his wife and unborn child?
— Warren Topelius (@WTopelius) January 26, 2023
A. Who the hell is Rollan Roberts?
B. How was he THE LAST person to move after his pregnant wife passed out??? https://t.co/V9IBL7P3dB— Sean Wolridge (@Wolridges) January 26, 2023
Others said the image of Roberts seeming to not care about the health of his wife while others rushed to help her would doom his presidential campaign.
Congratulations to #RollanRoberts for creating the shortest campaign in presidential history.
7.5 minutes.
— J.C. Young (@WriterJCYoung) January 26, 2023
The campaign ad against him writes itself: “Rollan Roberts – his pregnant wife can’t depend on him; neither should America.”
— Sandy&BB (@terese1368) January 26, 2023
Granted, Roberts stands no real chance to become the Republican nominee, let alone president. In a race for the Republican nomination that will include heavyweights such as former President Donald Trump and possibly Ron DeSantis, a relatively unknown businessman from West Virginia probably won’t make it very far.
But after this video has made the rounds, Roberts REALLY has no chance. If he cannot bring himself to show real concern for his wife and unborn child, how can we trust him to be concerned with the welfare of our country?
Now, it is possible that Roberts was frozen in shock by what had happened, and genuinely did not know what to do at that moment, but the image of his slow response to his wife’s condition will live long in the minds of voters.
Not only did his campaign get off to an unusual start — it’s also one that may have already doomed his chances of getting anywhere in this race.
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