First lady Jill Biden prompted her audience to clap for her on Thursday morning as she delivered remarks at an event in Washington, D.C.
The moment was reminiscent of prior moments in American political history in which a person shamed themselves after delivering what they believed was an applause-worthy line but had to stop and ask for it.
Biden addressed a crowd at the Reagan Institute Summit on Education, which also hosted a number of former secretaries of education.
During her remarks, she at one point 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.”
Biden paused as if she was waiting for a reaction from the crowd.
She then said, “I thought you might clap for that.”
Those in attendance then gave her a round of applause.
FLOTUS: “I’ve found that the common values that unite us are deeper than our divisions… I thought you might clap for that.” pic.twitter.com/S5If9EFRRu
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 25, 2023
The first lady’s awkward moment went viral on Twitter and drew a slew of reactions.
For some, it evoked memories of moments where her husband, President Joe Biden, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush each asked for applause when they believed they should have received it:
Jeb Bush sighting https://t.co/fZnx7IuZvk pic.twitter.com/vo37YDjkMq
— JB (@TheRealJB_33) May 25, 2023
They’re always telling people to praise them. Like Joe Biden’s “Clap, you bastards!” To our troops, no less. ?
Bro, if you gotta tell them to applaud, you didn’t say or do anything to earn the applause. ? https://t.co/i1M1VOOi7E
— ☘️????? Ƒʉͫcͧкͭιͪηͣ ????? (@LuckyMcGee) May 25, 2023
Please clap… https://t.co/bpgkPBBZhp
— Kenny5Alive (@kenny5alive) May 25, 2023
The Bush/Biden mantra:
“Please clap ?” https://t.co/wNjbNek3c2
— ZNO ?? (@RaymondZino) May 25, 2023
What an embarrassment. Only her and her husband have to ask the crowd for an applause it’s sad https://t.co/TGB0qUr6Ay
— Joey Donnoli ? (@joeydonnoli) May 25, 2023
She might be a fake doctor but she has real Jeb! energy https://t.co/pLfecp4JTX
— Iron Ken (@IronKenX) May 25, 2023
Bush’s moment came in New Hampshire in 2015:
In Joe Biden’s case, he called American service members “stupid bastards” after they failed to applaud him during remarks in 2016:
Jill Biden was invited to the annual RISE summit, which was founded by former President Ronald Reagan, for her work in education.
“We’re grateful to have Dr. Biden joining us at RISE to share her perspective on our nation’s education system,” the non-profit’s chief marketing officer Melissa Giller said in a statement. “Her years of experience as an educator and a national leader on this issue will offer valuable insights to the discussion.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
