During a rally this weekend, GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump made a gesture at a microphone stand in which it looked like he was pantomiming a sexual act. A five second clip of his speech capturing the gesture was quickly spread on social media, getting more than 31 million views.
Below is the brief segment capturing Trump’s gesture:
Wow wtf is he doing pic.twitter.com/TNHFsQF2OH
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 2, 2024
Trump, who has been known for coarse gestures and language since entering politics, seems to have taken things further in the last month of his third and final campaign for President. In Pennsylvania last week, Trump unaccountably told a crowd with children present that the late golfer Arnold Palmer possessed an enviable anatomical characteristic that was visible only in the shower.
Responding to his latest oral pantomime, Trump critics inevitably brought up the ribald Palmer story, with comments like “Donald is having an Arnold Palmer moment.”
Donald is having an Arnold Palmer moment.
— Geoff #HarrisWalz2024 (@GeoffBrown82) November 2, 2024
But online, Trump’s defenders blamed selective video editing for making the 45th President’s conduct appear less presidential than it had actually been, implying that if a viewer had the fuller context in which Trump made his oral gesture it would be better understood and less damning.
Posting a fuller selection of Trump’s talk, an account called Sara Rose wrote, defending the former POTUS: “This is what he’s doing if you stop selectively editing your propaganda clips.”
This is what he’s doing if you stop selectively editing your propaganda clips pic.twitter.com/Isett9jAGG
— Sara Rose (@saras76) November 2, 2024
But this longer version failed to provide context — or cover — for what Trump did, nor did the longer version of his peeved chatter about the ineptitude of his rally staff show him in a better light.
Yeah, that doesn’t help… but thanks, I was curious.
— Rachel (@MComms101) November 2, 2024
Many responses, indeed, held that the longer segment made Trump look “even worse.”
hey so this actually makes him look worse
— gino.eth (@GinoTheGhost) November 2, 2024
Thanks, now we can all see he’s completely losing it over a microphone.
Very noble and stable, that guy
— Angelique H (@AngelHtweets) November 2, 2024