On Tuesday night, President Donald Trump delivered the State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress. It was his time to shine, a chance to brag about his accomplishments, wax poetic about America and call for an end to "ridiculous partisan investigations." (Fun fact: During the 1974 State of the Unions, President Richard Nixon also called for an end to investigations. It's just something innocent people do!)
However, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi arguably stole the show, according to the internet. During his address, Trump said, "We must reject the politics of revenge, resistance, and retribution and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise and the common good." In response, Pelosi rose out of her seat to clap vigorously, creating a glorious photo.
Twitter users assumed Pelosi was clapping sarcastically. After all, Trump refused to sign bipartisan spending bills from Congress because they did not contain funding for his $5.7 billion US-Mexico border wall. Democrats opposed the wall, and Trump didn't offer them anything they wanted in exchange, like a permanent DACA solution, not temporary three-year extensions. The stalemate caused the longest government shutdown in history, forcing 800,000 federal employees to go without pay for 35 days.
Furthermore, hours before the State of the Union, the president reportedly called Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer a "nasty son of a bitch." To critics, Trump rejects cooperation and comprise, and embraces revenge and retribution. So, they loved Pelosi's literal clapback, or, as comedian Patton Oswalt dubbed it: the "f*** you clap." The image became the internet's new favorite meme, and here are best posts:
It's Arrested Development[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/spicykezzinnugg/status/1092986834949496833]]
It's a dirty job[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/Mikel_Jollett/status/1092985947229020160]]
Self-care is important[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/desusnice/status/1092987689828265984]]
And we're off![[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/ParkerMolloy/status/1092989821004533760]]
He bought a buffet of cheap fast food for a college championship football team visiting the White House.[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/Rschooley/status/1092997772964356097]]
Maroon 5's Super Bowl halftime show drew mixed reviews[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/ParkerMolloy/status/1092992249745629184]]
It's a girl thing[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/kathleenh42/status/1093206693574512645]]
'Likes' feed my soul[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/AsteadWesley/status/1092985204837441543]]
Greatest bowel movement ever, believe me[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/PaulLeeTicks/status/1093206780761366529]]
The meme applies to work...[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/mefarrellii/status/1093151289012293633]]
...school...[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/SeaHstudent/status/1093159291299651584]]
...and Ariana Grande.[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/thegarance/status/1092989821658845184]]
Nancy's daughter, Christine, recognized that clap[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/sfpelosi/status/1093178767642488832]]
But apparently Nancy Pelosi claims her clap was sincere? Unless she was being sarcastic when she said it was sincere. Augh! We'll never know the truth![[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/heatherscope/status/1093166525081620481]]
Well, there you have it. At 78 years old, Nancy Pelosi has become the queen of the internet. I don't know about the union, but the state of internet memes is strong.
