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Beto O’Rourke’s viral defense of NFL protest brings out celebrity praise

Ellen, LeBron, and even Lance Armstrong are all in.

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Chris Illuminati

beto orourke ellen support

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.

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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.

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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.

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“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.

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https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1032632419550023680

https://twitter.com/PattyArquette/status/1032425604178538497

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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.

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According to the Hill, O’Rourke has not yet confirmed whether he plans to appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

H/T the Hill

 
The Daily Dot