First Lady Jill Biden awkwardly told the audience to “clap” when her applause line fell utterly flat during a Thursday event in Washington.
What Happened: Jill, during her speech at the Reagan Institute Summit on Education in Washington, said, “I’ve visited red states and blue states, and I’ve found that the common values that unite us are deeper than our divisions.”
She took a slight pause, and upon receiving no reaction from the crowd, FLOTUS added, “I thought you might clap for that.”
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Her statement sparked laughter from the crowd and received resounding applause.
Previous Events: Social media users swiftly drew parallels between the first lady’s statement and a viral moment of desperation from the 2016 election when former Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush asked his supporters to “please clap” at a campaign event.
Back in February 2016, the former Florida governor addressed an audience in New Hampshire and, following a line from his campaign speech that failed to ignite the crowd, he implored them to “clap” for him.
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This is not the first time Jill suffered this situation. In 2019, while campaigning for her husband, the first lady had a similar awkward moment. During the campaigning, she told the Iowa audience that if Joe Biden were elected president, Americans would say, “Finally someone is standing up to the NRA and keeping our children and our schools safe.”
Jill, taken aback by the lack of response, told the audience, “That’s my applause line, come on!”
