Donald Trump Waving at Himself Watching Fox News Is the Internet’s New Meme
The internet has found its newest Donald Trump meme, and it’s one that America’s commander and chief has once again brought about without any effort. This time, ahead of his appearance at America’s 250th anniversary celebrations, the president was captured live on air, watching himself live on air and even waving at his TV in a moment that was instantly compared to a scene from Mel Brooks’ classic lampoon movie, Spaceballs.
The moment would not have happened if not for a small intervention on the “Salute to America 250” event by Mother Nature. Trump was due to make his appearance with a headlining speech to mark the landmark anniversary of American independence, but a series of severe thunderstorms pushed back the president’s slot by around two hours. Despite this, Fox News kept their coverage of the event rolling, filling in the time with whatever they could find.
This included taking a moment to show viewers the president waiting indoors via a camera positioned outside. What it captured was a lot of people mulling around with very little to do but wait, and President Trump engrossed in a TV screen showing the live footage from Fox News. Although this infinity mirror scenario of Trump watching Trump watching Trump could have caused some kind of world-ending paradox, it instead led to the surreal sight of Trump waving at the TV version of himself and waiting to see himself wave on the screen. If it sounds like the kind of thing your grandmother might do when you show her video calls for the first time…it is exactly that.
Back in the Fox studio, anchor Bret Baier reacted to Trump’s happy little greeting, excitedly saying, “Hey, he’s waving.” Meanwhile, Harris Faulkner called out, “We see you! Hi, Mr President.” Brian Kilmeade urged him to turn around for the cameras. Obviously, the timing of the delay between the footage and the broadcast helped making the whole thing look even more comical and the internet did with that footage what the internet does.
President Trump Went Full Spaceballs
The clip was shared on social media immediately, with several prominent accounts helping to make sure the images of Trump’s moment spread far and wide. One of the most natural and prominent responses was a comparison to a scene in Mel Brooks’ Star Wars parody, Spaceballs, where Rick Moranis’ Dark Helmet and his right-hand man watch a VHS copy of the very film they’re in, fast-forwarding until “now” becomes “now” in an endless loop. The similarities are startling.
As with anything involving President Trump, reactions ranged from those unable to believe that the president was watching himself on Fox News, to some who took the moment to have a barbed jab at the network and the possible influences it could have on Trump’s decisions over subjects like Iran and immigration, and others who declared him the “best looking president in history.”
Donald Trump Definitely Delivered for America 250
Of course, the ludicrousness of Trump being caught in his own feedback loop, infinitely waving at himself was the real reason the video went viral. It is a little strange to see someone appearing to test out whether a live feed is actually live by giving it a little wave and waiting for a reaction. When that someone is one of the most powerful people in the world, it becomes the kind of oddity that just makes people want to share.
Trump finally took the stage well after 11 p.m. once the storms had passed and delivered his well-scripted address to the nation and kick off the fireworks, just as promised. By then, the video of his unplanned appearance was already doing the rounds, making sure that America celebrated its 250th anniversary with a huge party, epic fireworks, and yet another Trump-led meme moment. What a birthday.
(featured image: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.)
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