GOP lawmaker promises to burn books if he’s elected governor

A Republican Missouri lawmaker involved in a symbolic book burning last weekend has made it clear he’s also prepared to burn real books.

“In the video, I am taking a flame thrower to cardboard boxes representing what I am going to do to the leftist policies and RINO corruption of the Jeff City swamp,” state Sen. and gubernatorial candidate Bill Eigel wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “But let’s be clear, you bring those woke pornographic books to Missouri schools to try to brainwash our kids, and I’ll burn those too – on the front lawn of the governor’s mansion.”

Related:

‘Gender Queer’ author reacts to senator reading sexual excerpt aloud in Congress

“I don’t recommend this book for kids!”

The words “woke” and “pornography” have become coded language used by conservatives to refer to books dealing with racial issues or any that mention LGBTQ+ people.

Your LGBTQ+ guide to Election 2024

Stay ahead of the 2024 Election with our newsletter that covers candidates, issues, and perspectives that matter.

Daily

Weekly

Good News

Over the weekend, Eigel joined state Sen. Nick Schroer in hosting a public burning of empty boxes at a GOP “Freedom Fest” festival in St. Charles County.

Video shows Schroer and Eigel using flame throwers to shoot fire at the pile of boxes while laughing onlookers chanted, “Let’s Go Brandon,” the GOP’s code phrase for “F**k Joe Biden.”

Disturbed viewers on social media accused the lawmakers of acting like “Nazi thugs” and called them “impotent” and “pitiful” men who are “coming for our democracy.”

But the senators have continued to act proud of their actions and deny that the event represented a book burning.

In one of his posts, Schoer said he and Eigel were burning the stack of empty boxes as part of a fundraiser raffling off the flamethrowers. He called the book-burning accusations “fake news.” But according to one political forum, the lawmakers had previously vocalized that they decided to burn empty boxes as symbols of “naughty” books so they wouldn’t have to actually purchase them. 

On Facebook, Schroer posted a 3D photo of the burning and celebrated what he’d done, writing, “This is how we roll in St. Charles County! Burning down the swamp at St Charles GOP Freedom Fest with our grassroots bad to the bone fam. I’m very proud of how our county is finally coming together to ensure government is smaller, freedom isn’t just a campaign term, the constitution is honored, and our babies are protected (born and unborn). Things are heating up in God’s country.”

Eigel also posted the video of the event and invited followers to join him in fighting “against these woke radicals.”

He also turned the footage into a campaign ad and made a dig at trans people when posting it.

“Truth never mattered to the Left,” Eigel said. “These are the folks that think men can get pregnant.”

Eigel’s gubernatorial campaign website expresses plans to ban gender-affirming care, ban trans girls from women’s sports, and prevent so-called Critical Race Theory from being taught in public schools, along with “other ‘woke’ programs.”