Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had some subtle reactions to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address — and the internet noticed.
- Pelosi spent more of the time politely smiling, but some of her movements went viral.
- The main one is her applause for Trump when he called for an end to "the politics of revenge."
- Pelosi raised her eyebrows and looked directly at the president who had turned around to face her as she clapped, and now it has become a meme.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s dismissive reactions to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address have started to go viral.
Pelosi was sitting behind Trump for the 82-minute speech, meaning many TV cameras recording the speech captured her reactions right over Trump’s shoulder.
People online eagerly shared images of Pelosi pursing her lips, raising her eyebrows, and interacting with Democrats in the crowd in a way that detracted from Trump’s message.
Perhaps the most widely-appreciated moment was a mocking round of applause Pelosi gave to Trump early in the speech.
This is the moment:
The internet saw it as both withering and sarcastic.
And others have turned it into a meme.
Pelosi also spent a lot of time looking at a stack of large papers in front of her, rather than the president.
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
Pelosi was reading a copy of Trump’s speech, a spokesperson told The New York Times.
Pelosi’s subtle interactions with Democrats in the crowd also got widespread attention.
At one point she held up a hand to try to quiet Democrats who jeered as Trump as he spoke about "migrant caravans."
Another time she encouraged Democrats to get up and cheer when Trump referenced the record number of women in Congress.
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
Many also noted Pelosi’s eye roll when Trump referred to investigations like special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe as "ridiculous, partisan investigations."
While there were moments of clear unity between Trump and Pelosi two during the address, Pelosi’s statement after the speech called on Trump to change his priorities.
She said that it would take "days to fact-check all the misrepresentations that the President made" and accused him of "fear-mongering and manufacturing a crisis at the border."
Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool
Pelosi praised some of Trump’s promises, particularly around healthcare, but questioned how he would achieve them.
In an echo of Trump’s calls for unity, Pelosi said that Trump "must now take concrete steps to work with Democrats to strengthen the health and economic security of families across America."
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See Also:
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- Trump took a veiled jab at the investigations into him during his State of the Union address — and some are drawing a Nixon parallel
Source: Business Insider