A Republican congressman not wearing a facial covering at a mask-optional GOP state convention in Wisconsin began coughing uncontrollably when he first addressed a crowd of attendees in Green Bay Saturday.
Rep. Glenn Grothman gave a high-five to an announcer who praised his work attending numerous events, stepped on a stage and began choking on his words the moment he spoke.
‘Let’s talk about Donald John Trump,’ Grothman said when he suddenly was overtaken by his coughing, captured in video footage which has gone viral online.
‘Ok… yep… Ok,’ he said to the crowd as he unbuttoned his tie and became red-faced. Grothman regained his composure shortly after and did not comment about his coughing.
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Republican Congressman Glenn Grothan, not wearing a facial covering at a mask-optional GOP state convention in Wisconsin, began coughing uncontrollably when he first addressed a crowd of attendees in Green Bay Saturday. Grothman gave a high-five just before he spoke
Grothman, after he stepped on a stage, began choking on his words the moment he spoke
‘Let’s talk about Donald John Trump,’ Grothman said when he suddenly was overtaken by his coughing, which was captured in video footage which has gone viral online
‘Ok… yep… Ok,’Grothman said to the crowd as he struggled to briefly regain his composure
The congressman unbuttoned his tie as his coughing subsided
Grothman was left red faced (pictured) after the coughing spell
The coughing fit was witnessed by a fellow Republicans and others in attendance at the convention, which was scaled back due COVID-19 safety measures, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Despite efforts to protect attendees, the wearing of facial coverings was optional.
Few people at the convention were seen wearing masks as many were seated near each other.
The coughing fit was witnessed by a fellow Republicans and others in attendance at the convention, which was scaled back due COVID-19 safety measures. Despite efforts to protect attendees (pictured), the wearing of facial coverings was optional
Grothman, a 65-year-old who is in the high-risk category for COVID-19, continued on with his speech after the unnerving coughing spell. He praised Trump’s performance since being elected in 2016 and his record on support for cops.
‘Donald Trump stood with the police after an administration that talked about the police being racist, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,’ Grothman said, referring to President Barack Obama’s administration preceding Trump’s.
‘We finally had a president who stood with the police. And what was the result of standing with the police? Drops in murders.’
Grothman, known for his optimism over the virus, has been spotted at previous public events without a mask during the pandemic.
Pictures he tweeted from his attendance of Fourth of July parades in Manitowoc, Green Lake, and Marquette show him not wearing masks at any of the events.
Grothman, known for his optimism over the coronavirus, has been spotted at previous public events without a mask during the pandemic. Pictures he tweeted from Fourth of July parades in Manitowoc, Green Lake, and Marquette show him not wearing masks at any of the events
Grothman tweeted an image of himself at a Wisconsin farmer’s event Saturday, again not wearing a mask and standing with an older man and woman who also were unprotected
The video footage, which was shared close to 4 million times after it was posted by Milwaukee Sentinel reporter Patrick Marlley, drew numerous reactions from people who viewed it online.
Democratic Congressman Mark Pocan, also from Wisconsin, responded to the tweet by writing, ‘Just wow’.
Chris Larson, a state senator from Milwaukee, fired criticism at Grothman and supporters of President Donald Trump, who has resisted wearing masks until he publicly came out wearing one during a visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Saturday.
The video footage, which was shared close to 4 million times after it was posted by Milwaukee Sentinel reporter Patrick Marlley, drew numerous reactions from people who viewed it online. Democratic Congressman Mark Pocan responded to the tweet by writing, ‘Just wow’
So far, there have been more than 39,000 cases in Wisconsin of the coronavirus, which has been blamed for 829 deaths.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services Saturday reported more than 900 new cases of the virus, marking the third consecutive day of record-setting increases, as states around the country are seeing new spikes in COVID-19.
Across the US, there have been more than 3.2 million cases and close to 135,000 deaths.
Among the states worst hit was Florida, which set a record for new infections after reporting 15,300 coronavirus cases on Sunday – the highest single-day total for any state.
Meanwhile, three Arizona teachers who shared the same classroom each caught the virus before one of them died. Kimberley Chavez Lopez Byrd, 61, who worked at the Hayden Winkelman School District for 38 years, died on June 26, according to CNN.
She had been hospitalized a little less than two weeks before her death. Arizona health officials have reported more than 119,000 cases of the virus with at least 2,151 deaths.
Kimberley Chavez Lopez Byrd (pictured with her husband Jesse), 61, who worked at the Hayden Winkelman School District for 38 years, died on June 26
Two other teachers, Jena Martinez and Angela Skillings, were also diagnosed with the virus last month. They both shared a summer classroom with Byrd and said they are still struggling with the effects of COVID-19.
All three teachers wore PPE, which included masks and gloves. They also used hand sanitizer and made sure to social distance, but they still ended up getting sick.
Arizona is one of several states, including Florida, California and Texas, that has seen a significant increase in cases within the past few weeks.
Nearly 69,700 confirmed cases over the last seven days came out of Florida, which now has a total of 269,811 cases and at least 4,346 deaths.
The US as a whole recorded an additional 61,000 confirmed cases within the last 24 hours.
Arizona health officials have reported more than 119,000 cases of the virus with at least 2,151 deaths. An Arizona resident is tested for the virus on June 27