Watch: Ron Johnson shares 'unoriginal' Trumpian anecdote when asked why he is seeking a third term

United States Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) announced his bid for a third term in January despite having pledged to only serve two.

"That's always been my game plan. I will say I never expected this to happen, though. The reality has changed from what I thought it would be in 2022," he said in 2018.

"It is not a decision I have made lightly," he remarked in January according to PolitiFact, which rated his change of heart as a Full Flop. "Having already experienced a growing level of vitriol and false attacks, I certainly don’t expect better treatment in the future."

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His reasoning remained elusive until Monday when Johnson – an outspoken conspiracy theorist and devoted follower of former President Donald Trump – finally offered a curious explanation as to why he ultimately decided to seek reelection.

“I didn’t want to do this. I was happy with 12 years and go home okay? My wife really didn't want me to do this," Johnson recalled in an interview. "But we're both patriots, and when we started opening up after COVID, as I'm going around the state, people are literally coming up to me with tears in their eyes or streaming down their cheeks saying, ‘You gotta run. You gotta help us save this country!' okay? And now that I've decided to run now it's just, you know, 'we have to save this country.' The tears haven't gone away."

Watch below via Ron Filipkowski:

Johnson's transparently Trumpian anecdote was met with intense skepticism on social media, given his less-than-stellar PolitiFact record. The website found that 32 percent of his public statements have been "mostly false," with 68 percent ranging from "half-true" to "pants on fire."