As the COVID-19 death toll in Texas climbed toward 9,000, Rep. Chip Roy declared that COVID-19 health precautions were an “absolute fraud being perpetrated on the American people of fear.”
Roy, in an interview with right-wing YouTuber Steve Deace, went on to claim that Democrats were hiding secret knowledge about how to end the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to improve their electoral odds. “It is all about November and all about reclaiming power in November,” Roy said. “And I think on November 4, there’ll be a magic awakening on how we suddenly beat the virus.”
As residents of his district grapple with illness, death, unemployment, and disrupted lives, Roy continues to deny the hard truths of effective pandemic response. Instead, he noisily demands magical solutions from others. His refusal to face the facts and do the hard work of leadership is condeming many of his constituents to needless suffering.