Video: Donald Trump Pats Horse's Rear End, Twitter Has a Fit

Donald Trump was the butt of Twitter jokes yesterday after a gif emerged of him awkwardly patting a horse that was delivering the White House Christmas tree.

A short clip showing the U.S. president touching the rear of the animal multiple times was widely mocked online after it was shared by Aaron Rupar, a journalist for Vox.com. "Jesus Christ on a biscuit. Has [he] literally never been near a horse?" one popular reply read.

Referring to the leaked 2005 Access Hollywood tape that included Trump's commenting about the liberties he can take with women without their consent, another Twitter user jokingly added: "When you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything." The post has been retweeted hundreds of times on the social network.

👀 pic.twitter.com/pntroxlGWN

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 19, 2018

The full recording from the event released by the White House was not at strange as the gif—with Trump also walking slightly farther ahead and petting the horse repeatedly on its left side. He is seen shaking the hands of the riders and chatting briefly with the animal's handler.

The horse was one of a pair pulling the stagecoach carrying the tree, brought in from the Mountain Top Fraser Fir farm. The Associated Press reported it was rare for the president to attend the holiday tradition, which is typically reserved for staffers or the first lady.

On the side of the green ceremonial carriage, a sign read: "White House Christmas Tree 2018." Trump and the first lady walked hand-in-hand as the tune of "O Christmas Tree" blared.

They chatted briefly with some of the attendees before walking back to the White House. The AP reported the tree was 19.5 feet (6-meters) tall and that it would be displayed in the Blue Room.

It's not the first time that Trump has had difficulty with animals while working. In 2015, during an August photoshoot with Time magazine, he appeared alarmed after a massive bald eagle he was posing with lurched at him unexpectedly. The moment was also instantly turned into a gif.

The 17-year-old bird, named "Uncle Sam," also messed up Trump's hair while sitting on his shoulder. The bald eagle's handler, Jonathan Wood, said it was just being territorial.

via GIPHY

"I forgot to tell Mr. Trump about that whole territorial thing, 'cause the bird was sitting off kind of to the side," Wood later told Business Insider. The then-Republican U.S. presidential candidate brushed off the encounter on Fox & Friends, claiming that he had not been frightened.

Even Vice President Mike Pence became briefly meme-worthy last year after he was pictured touching NASA equipment that clearly warned: "Critical Space Flight Hardware. Do Not Touch."

President Donald Trump
President Donald Trump pets a horse while he and first lady Melania Trump welcome a North Carolina grown Fraser Fir Christmas Tree at the North Portico as it makes its way to the Blue Room... Mark Wilson/Getty Images

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