Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s personal trainer paid his respects to the late Supreme Court justice with a series of push-ups in front of her casket as it lay in state in the US Capitol.
On Friday, Bryant Johnson, who worked with Ginsburg for more than 20 years, approached her flag-draped casket dressed in a mask and a suit.
After a moment, Johnson dropped to the ground, where he proceeded to do three push-ups on the floor of the Capitol's Statuary Hall.
The sentimental tribute came after the pair worked together for years to keep in shape, with Ginsburg, who died last week at the age of 87, reportedly continuing her twice-weekly workouts with Johnson into her final months - even despite the coronavirus pandemic.
In April, after it was reported that the Supreme Court justice was continuing her workouts at the Supreme Court gym, Johnson told Law360: "Everybody's been shut down. The only reason why I didn't shut the justice down is because, hey, she ain't having it.”
Ginsburg previously joked that Johnson, who created a book about her workout routine in 2017, was the “most important person in her life”.
On social media, Johnson’s tribute prompted an outpouring of emotional responses, with many reflecting on the “special” relationship between Ginsburg and her longtime trainer.
“This made me tear up. Thankful to Bryant Johnson for helping her maintain her health for so long,” one person wrote on Twitter.
Another said: “What a beautiful way to honour and respect #RBG. Bryant Johnson has this special bond with her that none of us do. It's quite telling and it shows how much he loved her.”
Ginsburg died on 18 September from complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer. She is the first woman in US history to lie in state at the US Capitol.
