Why this Myrtle Beach mayoral candidate and former Trump photographer joined a D.C. rally
A candidate for Myrtle Beach mayor will speak at a Pro-Trump protest in Washington D.C. Wednesday.
The protests are taking place in an attempt to pressure Vice President Mike Pence and Republican lawmakers to refuse to confirm Joe Biden’s election victory because of fabricated voter-fraud claims and conspiracy theories. Among the protesters will be Gene Ho, President Donald Trump’s former campaign photographer and now candidate for Myrtle Beach mayor.
In a Facebook post, Ho posed with former Trump adviser George Papadopoulos who was convicted of lying to the FBI about the significance of his contacts with people who claimed to have ties to top Russian officials. He was pardoned by Trump after serving a short time in federal prison in December.
“We will share the same stage in Washington DC on Jan. 6th.” Ho’s post reads. “If you go - we speak at the Capital Hill stage with Roger Stone.”
Roger Stone, an adviser to Trump, was sentenced in February to more than three years in prison for lying under oath and threatening witnesses. He was also pardoned in December.
Ho said he will be speaking about how Trump inspired himself and others to get involved in politics and become leaders. He said he realizes he might be lumped in with some of the other protesters who are more focused on election results.
Supporting President Trump
“My message is that I do support the President of the United States. At the same time, I have a great message of empowerment. And that’s what I want to make sure that the people that hear me speak will walk away with,” he said. “I’m a proponent of free speech. I will speak on points that are positive, and what we can all do to make a difference, each and every one of us.”
Ho spoke at the December march in the Capital. Although the protest was mostly peaceful, later in the day, multiple people were injured including police officers. Fueled by conspiracy theories, some spread by Trump, supporters flocked to Washington D.C. to protest election results. Officials in the area are preparing for another volatile day of protests and counter-protests Wednesday.
Before the December rally Ho posted a picture of himself with Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser who plead guilty to lying to the FBI and was later pardoned by Trump. Ho said he is honored to have a platform to spread his message and respects everyone’s right to free speech. He believes that the president has proof of voter fraud and hopes it will come out, but said he will respect the process and whoever is inaugurated later this month as president.
The Trump campaign have filed around 50 lawsuits alleging voter fraud and almost all of them have been dismissed by conservative and liberal judges, including the Supreme Court, who say the claims lacked evidence, The Associated Press reported.
“Right now, the President of the United States is still Trump. So as long as he’s still president, it might be just 15 more days or whatever it is, but right now, the man in the Oval Office is my president and I do support him,” Ho said.
Ho announced his intent to run for mayor last November. The next municipal election will take place Nov. 3, 2021 and the filing period for candidates will open sometime in late August. Myrtle Beach municipal elections are at-large and non-partisan, meaning all residents vote for all positions and a party isn’t designated on the ballot. Members serve four-year terms.
“Our President has empowered us. So what we have is a generation of people ready to stand up. We have NEVER seen anything like this. People traveling hundreds of miles to show peaceful support. Average every day people running for office,” Ho’s Facebook posts said. “In 2016 there was just one Trump. Now today there is 75 million Trumps and we are all ready to do our part and become leaders ourselves.”
