Town halls are a great way for presidential candidates to connect with voters. But the close-quarter get-togethers also leave the candidates a bit exposed. Add pranksters into the formula and anything can happen.
Both Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden were hit by pranksters as they campaigned in Iowa ahead of caucuses on Monday. Warren was a good sport about it all, while Biden was a bit curmudgeonly (though he did get in a zinger).
Here’s what happened. During a Warren rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday, Jason Selvig of the comedy duo The Good Liars suddenly stepped onto the stage. Warren was slightly taken aback, but then Selvig dropped to his knee and pulled out a small ring box.
After a few uncomfortable seconds, Selvig said, “Will you be my candidate for president? Will you marry me?”
A relieved Warren laughed and said, “Yes, I will be your candidate for president.” She then gave the prankster a big hug.
The prank went on. “Do you have this for someone else?” Warren asked about the ring.
Selvig then introduced Warren to his partner, Davram Stiefler, whom he called “Dale.” Dale, he said, was involuntarily celibate.
“My friend Dale, where’s my friend Dale? There he is. He’s an incel, and he just wanted to say his first words to a woman in a long time.”
“Hi Elizabeth!” Stiefler shouted.
“Hi Dale!” Warren said.
“It’s the first time he’s ever spoken to a woman,” Selvig said.
“It’s, it’s, it’s good to see you. I’m glad you’re here Dale, and I’m hanging on to the ring,” Warren said. “So I will be your candidate. Yes. All right, thank you. Take care, take care guys,” she said as Selvig left the stage.
“You know, it’s always exciting to be in Iowa,” Warren said. And pointing to her husband, she said, “Bruce, you OK with this, sweetheart? OK, good.”
What the hell is going onpic.twitter.com/BzljDBovYT
— alex, cringe tolerator (@ButAsABit) February 2, 2020
The same pranksters hit a Biden campaign event, too.
At a town hall in North Liberty, Iowa, on Saturday, Biden was delivering a speech after winning the endorsement of the Amalgamated Transit Union when he was interrupted — by Selvig.
“Mr. Vice President, my wife recently left me, she is divorcing me, what can I do to get her back?” Selvig asked.
“I’ll talk to you afterwards OK?” Biden said, adding “I’m happy to, I promise I’ll talk to you afterwards, all right?”
“Well, could we just get this out right now because we’re, you know, we’re live,” Selvig said.
“No, no we’re live,” Biden said. Then Biden joked, “I’m beginning to see why your wife left you.”
“As the crowd laughed, Biden said ‘Come on, man,’ and when Selwig persisted, said ‘Sir, I promise you I’ll spend time with you afterwards, I promise you I will, okay? Thank you,'” Mediaite reported.
Several minutes later, a man who turned out to be Davram Stiefler — the other allegedly Good Liar — stood up and said “Mr. Vice President I just want to say you’re a fine candidate and I’m planning on settling for Biden in 2020.”
As the crowd jeered at him to “Sit down,” Stiefler added “I think you could also, for Biden, and be the Hillary of 2020.”
As the crowd chanted “Let’s go Joe” and the man left, Biden laughed and said “I’ll tell you man, I thought they were exaggerating when they said, the Republicans said they were sending out 80 people to participate in the Democratic caucus here. Well I’m not sure who he’s with, but hey by the way, give us back your Joe shirt, okay?”
The man’s shirt said “Settle for Biden.”