Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi recreated the viral State of the Union applause she gave President Donald Trump with singer Katy Perry and actor Orlando Bloom on Friday night.
Pelosi, Perry and Bloom were captured in several photos on Friday night where they appeared to mimic the viral "sarcastic" applause the Democratic leader gave Trump during his presidential address earlier this week. The three were at the Los Angeles Convention Center to attend MusiCares Person of the Year honoring iconic singer-songwriter Dolly Parton.
Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, was also seen laughing alongside the famous trio in some of the images taken at the event.
KATY PERRY AND NANCY PELOSI RECREATING THE ICONIC STATE OF THE UNION CLAP BACK!!!! pic.twitter.com/FrkoEZ2NKd
— The Perry Room (@perryroom) February 9, 2019
During Trump's wide-ranging speech, which lasted over 80 minutes on Tuesday evening, the president announced another meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, restated his calls for a wall on the southern U.S.-Mexico border and subtly lashed out at special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. But it was Pelosi's handclap that stole the show.
Pelosi was seated behind Trump's left shoulder during his speech when photographers captured an image of her clapping with outstretched arms as the president appeared to turn back to face her. When the photo was shared to social media, users widely interpreted her appaulse as "sarcastic" and used the hashtag #PelosiClap to praise the House Speaker.
"Nancy Pelosi creates a new genre of Trump resistance: clap sarcasm," Slate magazine tweeted.
But on Wednesday, Pelosi defended the clap, claiming it was a genuine attempt to show Trump that she encouraged his message of rejecting "politics of revenge, resistance and retribution."
"It wasn't sarcastic," Pelosi told reporters. "Look at what I was applauding. I wanted him to know that it was very welcomed."
However, Pelosi's daughter contradicted her mother's claims that the clap wasn't sarcastic in a tweet on Wednesday. "#waybackwednesday - oh yes that clap took me back to the teen years. She knows. And she knows that you know," Christine Pelosi wrote, alongside a closeup of the viral image. "And frankly she's disappointed that you thought this would work. But here's a clap. #youtriedit"
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