What the ‘Liberate’ Protests Really Mean for Republicans

“God bless ’em.”

Those were Representative Jim Jordan’s words for the thousands of protesters who have descended on state capitols, holding up MAGA signs, openly flouting social-distancing guidelines, and demanding an end to the economic shutdowns aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus.

The Ohio conservative is cheering them all from afar.

“I applaud these people for speaking up and defending liberty,” Jordan told me by phone yesterday.

Jordan, 56, is a leader of the House Freedom Caucus, the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee, and one of President Donald Trump’s staunchest allies in Congress. He’s also an absolutist in the raging debate over when—and how—to reopen the economy while protecting public health in the midst of a pandemic. “I’m ready for this to start happening, like, yesterday,” Jordan said.

While Trump has egged on the demonstrators and urged governors to phase out stay-at-home orders, Democrats have assailed the protests as conservative-backed stunts that are endangering people’s lives. Jordan attributes the anger to governors and mayors who have, in the minds of conservatives, gone overboard in their efforts to enforce lockdowns by threatening to break up religious services and encouraging citizens to “snitch” on businesses and neighbors. “This is ridiculous,” he said. “Americans understand that, and that’s why they’re speaking out.”