The six-year-old son of Rep. John Rose (R-Tenn.) became an instant C-SPAN star after stealing the show during his father's House floor speech on Monday. Guy Rose's adorable antics, which included making silly faces, rolling his eyes, waggling his tongue, and performing a secret sign language, quickly went viral, captivating viewers and overshadowing his father's remarks on former President Donald Trump's guilty verdict in the hush money trial.
Appearing on "Fox & Friends" Tuesday, Rep. John Rose explained that he brought his son to work with him this week because Guy had recently graduated from kindergarten, and he was trying to divide and conquer child care responsibilities with his wife, Chelsea, who also works full-time. "It's certainly not what I expected when I told him to smile at Sam. I was thinking maybe his little 3-year-old brother that's back home with mom would enjoy seeing Guy on TV," Rose told Steve Doocy.
As Rep. Rose delivered his speech, calling Trump's conviction a "setback" for the country and emphasizing the importance of settling political differences at the ballot box, viewers quickly became distracted by Guy's outrageous faces and cryptic hand gestures. Doug Andres, a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), shared a screenshot of the young boy holding his hands in a triangle, captioning it, "He knows something."
Rep. John Rose's son upstaged him during a House floor speech by making silly faces to the C-SPAN camera. Watch: https://t.co/i56p0nf0g3 pic.twitter.com/SX1Ki7VooM — Tennessean (@Tennessean) June 3, 2024
The captivating four-minute-long scene that unfolded on Capitol Hill left many staffers and viewers in awe. Aaron Fritschner, a staffer for Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), tweeted, "So sorry I was slow responding to your email, I was tied up watching this over and over again." Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) even argued that "Rep. Rose's son is more mature than many regulars on the House floor."
When asked by Doocy what he was doing during his father's speech, Guy responded, "Making a symbol... to my brother to try to make him laugh." He explained that he was trying to spell his brother's name. However, the young boy then proceeded to say that his dad's job in Congress is "boring," to which Rep. Rose countered, "Actually, it's a very interesting job. I learned lots of things that... you learn from the constituents that you represent..."
Guy's silliness reminded many on social media of the goofy faces and maniacal waving deployed by Andrew Giuliani during his father Rudy's 1994 inaugural address. National Review senior writer Dan McLaughlin noted on X, "Big 'Andrew Giuliani in 1994' vibes."
Rep. Rose later took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to address his son's viral moment, writing, "This is what I get for telling my son Guy to smile at the camera for his little brother." Despite the unintended distraction, the congressman seemed to take the incident in stride, acknowledging the adorable disruption caused by his son's playful behavior.
According to the Associated Press, Guy, who just recently graduated from kindergarten, will be shadowing his dad on Capitol Hill all week. When asked by Doocy if he had anything else to say to the viewers, the young boy replied, "Not really." Pressed further on whether he wanted to say hello to anyone, Guy responded with a succinct "Not at all," eliciting laughs from those off-camera.
