Former Rep. Beto O’RourkeBeto O’RourkeBiden will help close out Texas Democrats’ virtual convention: report O’Rourke on Texas reopening: ‘Dangerous, dumb and weak’ Parties gear up for battle over Texas state House MORE (D-Texas) livestreamed himself getting a haircut Wednesday during a stop on the campaign trail as the Democratic presidential hopeful seeks to regain his footing in polls.
O’Rourke streamed the visit to Chema’s barber shop in his hometown of El Paso, Texas, on his Facebook page, giving his barber a chance to talk about his experience leaving Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to come to El Paso.
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The former congressman then fielded questions from Facebook users about how his kids were doing and the kind of haircut he was getting. He eventually got a question about his education reform platform.
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The 2020 hopeful used the question to talk about lowering costs of higher education, creating more opportunities for students to go trade school and forgiving student loan debt for public servants.
O’Rourke also discussed his appearance on ABC’s “The View” the previous day, where he expressed regret for launching his campaign on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine because he said it reinforced the perception of his “privilege.” O’Rourke called his appearance on the show “tough.”
At one point during the livestream Wednesday, a customer came into the barber shop who recognized Beto from TV but didn’t know who he was. O’Rourke explained that he was running for president, and by the end of the video the other customer asked him for an autograph.
O’Rourke ended the livestream by promoting his CNN town hall, scheduled for May 21.
The episode was reminiscent of a visit to the dentist that O’Rourke streamed on social media in January, which critics panned as oversharing. He used that visit to showcase his hygienist’s experiences growing up near the southern border.
O’Rourke, who entered the crowded 2020 Democratic presidential primary field as a potential favorite earlier this year, has attempted to reassert himself in the White House race after languishing in polls recently.
His campaign had shied away the national television circuit, instead focusing on small crowds at town hall events across the country. However, he has mixed up that strategy amid lagging poll numbers.
O’Rourke appeared on “The View” this week as well as MSNBC’s “The Rachel MaddowRachel Anne MaddowWebb: The modern age of dissent versus riot Cable news audience numbers jump amid coronavirus, protests Demings: ‘America is on fire’ and Trump ‘is walking around with gasoline’ MORE Show,” and is slated to attend a CNN town hall next week.