Beto O'Rourke is quite the prankster, according to a recent profile in the Washington Post. The former congressman and failed Senate candidate proposed to his wife on April Fool's Day, for example. His wife, Amy, found it appropriate, given his "impulsive and puckish" nature, which according the Post compels O'Rourke to dabble in all sorts of zany hijinks around the house—from reenacting famous scenes from horror films, to using his children's excrement as a prop to "prank" his wife:
And then there were the pranks: the remote-controlled cockroach in the kitchen, the "Psycho"-style scares in the shower. One time, according to a friend, Beto collected an especially verdant turd from one of their kids’ diapers and put it in a bowl, telling Amy it was avocado. (Neither would confirm this, though Beto did allow it sounded like something he’d do.)
Beto's relationship with his wife has been the subject of much consternation in the press. Even the New York Times was alarmed by his bizarre campaign announcement video, in which Amy watched in silence as he delivered a rambling, three-and-a-half minute stump speech from their living room sofa.
NYT: In Beto O’Rourke’s Announcement, His Wife’s Silence Stands Out https://t.co/soyfU1RA3d
— Rebecca Buck (@RebeccaBuck) March 15, 2019
Since then, O'Rourke has had to apologize for making numerous jokes about being an absentee father—how Amy has been raising their children "sometimes with my help." Among other things, O'Rourke's seemingly flippant remarks about his wife and his role as a father have triggered complaints about his "male privilege."
O'Rourke received similar criticisms following his loss to Ted Cruz in 2018, when he embarked on a solo road trip to "find himself" while Amy stayed home with the kids. But he defended his actions in the interview with the Post. "Absolutely, as a white man, there is so much privilege built into that," he said. "But to the question of whether only Beto O’Rourke could take this road trip. ... I just knew I needed to do it."