The two senators were raising awareness about mental health
(Picture: @kaufmannGOP/ Twitter)Two Republican senators indulged in a push-up competition, as you do, but not everyone was impressed at their display of strength.
At a Republican convention in Iowa, Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Chuck Grassley did 22 push-ups to raise awareness of the 22 veterans who commit suicide on average every day, according to Fox News.
But while their cause may have been noble, people on social media were confused at their macho behaviour, which has gone viral on social media, with a video of it accruing over 800,000 views.
🚨Update from Sioux Center!
— Jeff Kaufmann (@kaufmannGOP) June 30, 2021
@ChuckGrassley & @TomCottonAR doing 22 push ups in front of 200 passionate Iowans. Wow! pic.twitter.com/1NQL4ybs1C
Indeed, many people like former Tory MP Louise Mensch claimed their form was not good enough to claim what they were doing were push-ups:
@TomCottonAR never lowers his chest any more than three centimeters from the start position. I would call that a plank with 22 small pulses, turn in your Ranger badge Cotton
— Louise Mensch, M.A. (@LouiseMensch) June 30, 2021
I counted zero push ups in this entire video
— David Maclean (@GeordieStory) June 30, 2021
Apart from the fact those aren't push-ups, what does this have to with policy?
— Machine Pun Kelly (@KellyScaletta) June 30, 2021
While others were impressed – especially with Grassley who is 87 – the overall consensus seemed to be that the men were doing half push-ups at best:
Grassley is 87. What is Cotton's excuse for those half-ass push-ups?
— Paul Shaw (@pavlvsx) June 30, 2021
Are u kidding? I can see Tom Cotton pulling this off no problem.
— URSTRULY 🇺🇸 (@Lpac2017) June 30, 2021
But Chuck Grassley doing 22 push-ups .. that is beyond AWESOME. Makes me feel like a wimp.
conservatives love macho exercise bullshit so much yet are still so bad at it https://t.co/fUn4ZWUMV1
— Casey Johnston (@caseyjohnston) June 30, 2021
Cotton, a former army officer and Trump ally, is a controversial figure. He once called slavery “a necessary evil” and called protests after George Floyd’s death “an orgy of violence”. He supports loose gun controls and has voted for measures to restrict access to abortions.
Grassley also describes himself as pro-life and has received funding from the National Rifle Association (NRA), according to reports.
During the event, Cotton took time off from exercise to deliver a speech criticising Biden for his immigration policy and for his agreement that systematic racism exists in the US.
“If we put the brakes on the Biden agenda, if we win in 2024, that’s all for the better. If we, however, let the left indoctrinate an entire generation of our kids to hate America, what will we have gained?” he said.
It is expected that Cotton will throw his hat into the ring for the 2024 Presidential elections. Perhaps he should only be allowed to do so if he can complete 2024 push-ups?
