Donald Trump is no stranger to receiving pity gifts in exchange for other awards he doesn’t measure up to.
The president recently got another chance to bask in the applause and celebrate himself. Normally, an occasion like this would keep him talking for another hour. But this time, something seemed off.
For a man who lives for admiration, his lack of enthusiasm was hard to miss. Even the familiar ingredients of a Trump celebration couldn’t seem to bring back his usual love for the mic and stage.
Just days after Republicans took a beating in the midterm elections, the usually animated 80-year-old appeared to have lost some of his trademark swagger.
His speech was shorter, his delivery noticeably subdued, and when the music started, he seemed to have somewhere else to be.
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The awkward moment unfolded Friday, Nov. 6, during Trump’s visit to the UP.Summit at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
After accepting a commemorative plaque, the president made a quick exit, leaving his signature dance to the Village People’s “YMCA” noticeably absent from the evening’s festivities.
According to Mediate, Trump spoke for roughly 25 to 30 minutes, a far cry from the two-hour performances he delivered while campaigning for Republican candidates. He praised his administration’s work with NASA, discussed Iran’s nuclear ambitions and found time to revisit Tuesday’s election results.
“By the way I was not on the ballot just in case you had any question,” Trump told the audience. “Because if we were on the ballot we would have won. But we weren’t.”
He’s been repeating the same defense for days after spending weeks urging voters to support Republican candidates. Now that the results were in, Trump appeared determined to separate himself from the losses.
Then came the presentation.
“Mr. president we brought you something very special here,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced while presenting a plaque. Held by members of the Artemis II and III crews, the plaque will be that would be installed on a runway Trump was credited with helping revitalize.
Social media users quickly noticed.
“WTF! I’ve just lost every bit of respect I ever had for NASA,” said one person.
Another said, “Normal and serious presidents will address the nation immediately after such a sobering loss, not this guy. He’s busy receiving worthless plaques from subordinates he appointed to puff his weak little ego.”
The recognition seemed tailor-made for a president who loves seeing his name attached to public landmarks. But instead of lingering to enjoy the moment, Trump headed for the exit.
As “YMCA” began playing, he walked away without his trademark fist-pumping dance.
One observer noticed, “What, no fist pumps, no dancing?” Another said he looked like, “He’s about to wander off.”
Some wondered of the plaque was part of a humilation ritual while others wondering if it would impact
“Lol like a child, everyone has to give him a participation trophy,” someone wrote. Another speculated, “They’re using the music as a cue to his dementia brain to exit stage.”
The missing dance was especially noticeable given Trump’s long-running fascination with the disco anthem.
When Village People lead singer Victor Willis died in June, Trump turned his tribute into a celebration of his own popularity. He boasted about his enormous rally crowds and suggested his use of “YMCA” had helped revive the group’s success.
His obsession with his own political legacy was also apparent at NASA. Even while accepting an honor, Trump couldn’t resist revisiting the election and insisting he would have won.
The POTUS has developed a habit of chasing trophies, medals and prestigious honors, even when he hasn’t earned them himself.
Trump has pocketed commemorative medals, tried on Olympic gold and accepted FIFA’s newly created Peace Prize — all while complaining for years that the Nobel Peace Prize committee overlooked him, an award Barack Obama already won.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado even handed Trump her Nobel medal, though she couldn’t transfer the honor itself. Organizers have also handed him participation trophies and invented awards that few people had heard of before.
Now, after losing the Nobel again, Trump has another family trophy to celebrate. The National Medal of Science awarded to his late uncle. The pattern has fueled jokes about his apparent obsession with collecting recognition, especially since he still wants the Nobel Peace Prize.
The president received his plaque, heard the applause and disappeared as his favorite campaign anthem played. Whether he was tired, disappointed or simply finished for the evening remains unclear.
But after weeks of insisting Republicans would win big, Trump finally found a stage he didn’t seem interested in occupying any longer.
