Staten Island Rep. Max Rose said he could accept a second term for President Trump if it meant taking out COVID-19.
“Nothing would make me happier, nothing, than to see this president utilize all the tools at his disposal to win this war as the commander in chief that he is, and to own that success,” the freshman Congressman told Politico in a lengthy interview. “And if that success means that we beat COVID and he wins reelection, then so be it. God bless him. Because we have won the greatest battle of the 21st century.”
Rose went on to say that he felt Trump was not doing everything he could to ensure victory, and specifically cited his failure to ramp up domestic production of critical medical supplies.
Rose said that “taking over the production of PPE in every way, shape and form possible to make sure that states and municipalities aren’t fighting one another,” was step one toward any pathway out of the current crisis.
As home to a disproportionate number of the cops and healthcare workers on the front lines of coronavirus, Staten Islanders have borne a significant brunt of the plague’s deadly toll.
Politically, Staten Island has long been a ruby red outpost in an otherwise deep blue city. Rose’s victory in 2018 helped flip the U.S. House of Representatives to Democrats. Though he reluctantly voted for impeachment, his army vet credentials and plainspoken style have endeared him to the district. He is only the second Democratic to represent the island in Congress in 40 years.