Apr 10, 2021
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Warming up a crowd with a joke is a trick of the political trade. Republican Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted had, no doubt, used the technique successfully dozens of times before.
But one day last September, it was going very badly.
Husted, 53, was back in southwest Ohio, where he had spent decades as a college football star, business professional and state lawmaker, to kick off a campaign rally for President Donald Trump. His joke was an attempt to promote mask-wearing. Not only did the crowd not laugh, they booed.
“All right, I get it,” he finally said, awkwardly ending his joke about those forced to wear masks in grocery stores being able to “at least say that you’re trying to save the country” by wearing a Trump 2020-themed face covering. Even though he was there to promote the work he and Republican Gov. Mike DeWine were doing to elect Trump, someone heckled: “Get off the stage.”