Trump’s Tries to Impress with Big Announcement But Viewers Ignore His Words and Fixate on the Sound He Made Sitting Down
A ceremony meant to honor U.S. service members took an unexpected turn when Donald Trump appeared disoriented moments into the event. As he spoke about policy, cameras lingered on the 79-year-old as viewers began commenting on an odd sound that picked up on the microphone, prompting speculation online. Social media quickly filled with clips and reactions, with some insisting they heard a rustling or crickling sound that distracted from his remarks.
While he used the occasion to tout his administration’s immigration policies, cameras caught the grandfather wandering aimlessly in the Oval Office.
Trump, 79, honored 13 soldiers and Marines with the newly established Mexican Border Defense Medal as the service members received their medallions during a White House ceremony on Dec. 15. Border czar Tom Homan and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth were also in attendance.
He spent several seconds standing still behind his desk and staring around the room without speaking. He eventually leaned over to whisper something to a service member beside him, who briefly acknowledged the moment with a handshake.
The awkwardness continued when the president sat down in the chair behind the desk, grabbed a marker, and then froze — sitting quietly and staring off to his right like a child waiting for someone to tell him what to do next. Eventually, the Republican leader signed an executive order about a “weapon of mass destruction.”
While some viewers fixated on his aimless wandering moments earlier, others latched onto an entirely different detail: the sound he made as he sat down. “Did anyone else hear that the squelch when he sat?” one person asked. “There we go! Thought nobody heard that,” another replied, while a third joked, “I wondered if I imagined it. Thanks for the reassurance.”
Still, other people focused on how everyone around the president reacted to him, seeming weirdly uncomfortable in that situation.
“Something is off in the Oval Office right now. Just awkward standing, whispering, aides hovering, and Trump wandering the room like he’s not part of the meeting,” an X user posted in response to the video of Trump’s offbeat actions.
“What is he doing?? He looks so dazed and confused. If this were anyone else, his children etc, would have him in a senior care facility. Instead, he is in the Oval Office with access to our nuclear codes,” read a reply.
A third person on the app chimed in, “That appears to be very awkward, mega lame duck, nobody is interacting with him….. he has to go, NOW!” Similarly, someone noted, “Trump wandering the room like he’s not part of the meeting. The awkward standing around and whispering,” before adding, “People are ignoring Trump for a sec, and I love seeing it.”
The image of service members looking disinterested in the disheveled commander in chief inspired another Threads poster to write, “OMG, that’s the best thing I’ve seen all month! He is totally marginalized and inconsequential.”
This holiday season has been filled with viral footage of Trump acting strangely or constantly derailing his own speeches by rambling about off-topic subjects. His public appearances have provided constant fodder for detractors to seize on for ridicule and condemnation.
Last week on Dec. 9, Trump addressed his loyal supporters at a recent rally in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, where he once again leaned into his so-called “weave” technique of randomly jumping between various subjects, which often comes off like he’s rambling at the mouth.
Then, at the 2025 Congressional Ball at the White House on Dec. 11, the New York City-bred businessman-turned-politician surprisingly admitted he was unaware of an upcoming major legislative initiative spearheaded by his wife, first lady Melania Trump.
Melania, 55, unintentionally provided more kindling to the growing fire of speculation about the state of Trump’s mental and physical well-being after her official office shared a slow-motion Instagram video of the couple descending a staircase to enter the Congressional Ball. Instead of projecting strength, the clip prompted viewers to comment that Trump looked noticeably frail and weaker.
