MACON, Ga. — A Georgia representative seen crowd-surfing at a recent rally for President Donald Trump's re-election is now talking about the experience - and why he did it.
Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones was photographed on Friday gliding across the hands of attendees during a campaign rally at Middle Georgia Airport.
It's a move that drew a lot of attention for both how surprising it was - and also how such actions fly in the face of most coronavirus guidelines in Georgia and around the country.
The moment has even drawn international attention with TheGuardian.com dubbing Jones, "Captain Covid."
But Jones, a Democrat turned strong supporter of President Trump, said he would do it all again if the chance arose.
"This isn’t about me and Covid. This is about helping Donald J. Trump get elected," he said in a statement to 11Alive. "I will go to that extreme."
Jones described it as "a leap of faith."
"Not only ... do I believe in Trump, I believe in the people who caught me," he wrote. "A black man leaped into a white crowd, and they held me up and protected me."
"That my friend was a demonstration that Black lives matter," he added.
Trump's campaign in Georgia was one over several in recent days as the president faces stiff competition in several key states across the country where he and former vice president Joe Biden are neck-and-neck.
The Associated Press wrote on Friday that Trump's visit to Georgia "highlights the serious nature of his challenge."
Jones, however, has become a vocal - and visible - supporter in the state. The District 91 representative and former DeKalb CEO out of one of Georgia's bluest regions has made waves for breaking from his party and recently speaking at the Republican National Convention.
In August, the Associated Press pointed out Trump's emphasis on winning over more support from Black voters after receiving only 6 percent in 2017.
Jones, at that time, said he was backing Trump over important issues like funding historically black colleges and universities and criminal justice reform. He also accused Democrats of turning their backs on police officers.