The standout moment from Trump’s State of the Union Address definitely wasn’t any of the racist or self-congratulatory nonsense to spray out of the president’s mouth during the proceedings. Indeed, when he wasn’t being overtly xenophobic or transparently lying, he was putting the audience to sleep, trotting out platitudes everyone knows he doesn’t believe in and giving lip service to faux bipartisanship in a pathetic effort to appear “presidential.”
No, the moment of the night that most captured the nation’s imagination and soon went viral across the internet was when Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) clapped tauntingly towards Trump’s face, smirking all the while. It was a clear power move that demonstrated that the Speaker isn’t intimidated by the Republicans’ top bully in the least. Trump himself seemed unsure how to respond, and elected instead to just turn away from her.
One of the most talked about moments from last night's State of the Union was this Nancy Pelosi clap https://t.co/tjwUIfKDKR pic.twitter.com/YlpWWurAyh
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) February 6, 2019
The video and screengrabs spread like wildfire, catching on amongst the countless Americans who have been watching Pelosi fight back effectively against Trump since she reascended to the Speakership. She has shown herself to be more than a match for the president and has consistently outplayed him at every turn, engendering a deep appreciation from voters. Pelosi is the perfect person to be leading the Democratic resistance against Trump.
Now, the Speaker’s daughter herself has weighed in on the clapping meme. Christine Pelosi tweeted that the already-famous clap reminds her of her teenage years when she herself was subjected to just such a display from her mother. She explained that it’s admonishing and a display of disappointment, confirming what most people saw when they saw the image: Pelosi, an adult, reacting to Trump, an utter child. It’s layered with low expectations as if she is congratulating him for simply managing to get through his speech like a big boy. Brutal.
#waybackwednesday – oh yes that clap took me back to the teen years. She knows. And she knows that you know. And frankly she’s disappointed that you thought this would work. But here’s a clap. #youtriedit pic.twitter.com/vUCX2uAUvv
— Christine Pelosi (@sfpelosi) February 6, 2019
