You probably already know this, but President Donald Trump thinks very highly of himself. Need proof? Just look at his first State of the Union address, which he delivered Tuesday night.
If you watched it, you may have noticed an odd banging sound in the background during a few times when the audience stood up and started clapping. That’s Trump clapping at his own words…. into the microphone.
USA Today rounded up some of the moments that Trump clapped in a compilation video:
Here’s a compilation President Trump clapping for himself during the State of the Union. pic.twitter.com/Zk1QdXpisL
— USA TODAY Video (@usatodayvideo) January 31, 2018
Trump’s clapping, amplified by his microphone, quickly turned into a joke on Twitter.
Trump clapping directly into the mic pic.twitter.com/GWPbSJPT2R
— Kayla Sheets (@SheetsKayla) January 31, 2018
Okay Trump. You can stop clapping your hands into the microphone. #SOTU pic.twitter.com/dUzqQTCBE3
— Isabella Steele (@MsBellaSteele) January 31, 2018
Love the strategy of Trump clapping for himself during his own speech. I’m going to start doing this intermittently when placing fast food orders at drive through windows.
— Ross Bolen (@WRBolen) January 31, 2018
the isolated sound of trump clapping is how i imagine the white house sounds most evenings, just the sound of his hands slapping together echoing down empty hallways over the low din of the tv
— jonny sun (@jonnysun) January 31, 2018
Trump clapping at himself during his own speech for things he didn’t accomplish is a metaphor for his entire existence.
— The Volatile Mermaid (@OhNoSheTwitnt) January 31, 2018
Well at least we know that the soundtrack to the 9th circle of hell is Trump clapping his meaty palms together repeatedly 4.5 inches away from a hot mic
— Devin Lytle (she/her) (@devdevnumnums) January 31, 2018
Meanwhile, others admired Sen. Tim Kaine’s “hate clap.”
Find someone who hate claps at you the way @timkaine does. #SOTU pic.twitter.com/mQhUp7XBPv
— Carol Ray Hartsell ™️ (@carolrhartsell) January 31, 2018
If you need a refresher on Obama’s etiquette during the SOTU, here’s his last speech in 2016:
Obama mostly folded his hands or kept his hands at his side while the audience clapped during moments in this State of the Union. At the very least, he seemed to realize that clapping directly into a microphone would produce an uncomfortably loud sound.
