The State of the Union address was supposed to showcase Donald Trump’s statesmanship but, according to social media, the real star of the show was Nancy Pelosi, whose sarcastic antics made her the night’s MVP #resistor.
During his 80-minute speech, Trump appealed to Americans of all ideological stripes to find common ground and embrace compromise – a message that arguably clashes with the president’s habit of roasting his political opponents on Twitter.
After Trump called on the country to “embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise and the common good,” Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, sitting behind the president, fired off a few sarcasm-dipped golf claps. The acerbic salute caused a sensation on social media, with photos of Trump and Pelosi locking eyes as she offers her feigned applause being hailed as epoch-defining treasures.
Comedian Patton Oswalt dubbed the gesture the “f**k you” clap, while others praised the House leader as a model #resistor.
Most critically, the photo’s meme potential was not overlooked.
However, Pelosi had more Twitter-shattering tricks up her sleeve. After Trump began boasting about Washington’s draconian sanctions against Iran, Pelosi was spotted flipping through what many believe was a copy of the president’s speech. Had Trump intentionally omitted his Iran-bashing from the printed transcript he gave to the Democrats, or was Pelosi just bored stiff?
The Twitterverse, of course, put forward a number of colorful theories about the speaker’s paper shuffling.
“I see Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s strategy tonight: Read the paper copy of Trump’s script when you know you can’t hold your poker face,” joked CNN producer Jason K. Morrell.
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