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Trump Drank Water Like A Toddler & Twitter Can’t Get Over It
On Monday, President Trump gave a speech on national security, wherein he discussed his administration's foreign policy goals and the challenges America faces on the world stage. But at one point during his speech, Trump drank water using two hands, cradling the glass tenderly with all of his fingers while taking a small sip. Not surprisingly, a good chunk of the Internet reacted not to the president's foreign policy vision but, rather, his awkward two-handed drink of water.
This isn't the first time Trump has used both hands to drink water during a high-profile speech. He did the same thing in November, pausing a national address on America's relationship with Asia to lift a water bottle with one hand, steady it with his other hand and take a sip.
The president's water gaffes, while amusing to watch, might not be worth commenting on — except for the fact that Trump mocked Florida Sen. Marco Rubio throughout the 2016 Republican primary for drinking water awkwardly during speeches.
Rubio had his own "water moment" in 2015 while delivering the Republican response to the State of the Union address, taking a sip from a tiny bottle of water and prompting mass snickers in the process. Trump seized on it, imitating the Florida senator on stage and criticizing him on Twitter for drinking water from a bottle, rather than a glass.
The denizens of Twitter remembered all of this as Trump had his own water moment on Monday.
My Preeeeeecious
Life Imitating Art
"Almost" might be charitable.
Baby Trump
He does seem very focused on not spilling the water.
Animal Instincts
Why? Why indeed!
True Love?
And don't let 'em go once you do!
The Burning Question
Probably, but still.
Flashback
The above tweet is from Trumps first two-handed water sip incident back in November, and it became relevant again on Monday. Trump also imitated Rubio's water sip during a 2016 speech.
Don't Drop That Glass
To be clear, Trump doesn't drink alcohol, so drunkenness was not the explanation for his odd water-drinking method.
"Alpha Scrunch"
Look at that furrowed brow!
Behind The Scenes
The president doesn't need any help drinking his water, thank you very much.
Pot, Meet Kettle
When Trump first did a two-handed water drink back in November, Rubio was quick to chime in, noting that the president "needs work on his form." The junior Senator from Florida hasn't yet weighed in on Trump's latest water gaffe.
Pop Quiz
The third one is the joke.
It goes without saying that the manner in which the president drinks water is not, in and of itself, a matter of national interest. But it's also worth noting that Trump, throughout his short political career, has been accused by many of his critics of engaging in psychological projection; that is, accusing other people of doing things that he himself does. Sen. Ted Cruz made this argument during the presidential primary when he said that, although Trump "lies practically every word that comes out of his mouth," his response is always "to accuse everybody else of lying." Indeed, Trump — whose lies and mistruths are well-documented — gave Cruz the nickname "Lyin' Ted" during the Republican primary.
The Trump-Rubio-Water dynamic appears to be a part of this pattern. Trump pointedly attacked Rubio's water-drinking form during the campaign, but it now seems that Trump himself has an equally strange method of drinking water.
Again, none of this is terribly important in a vacuum. But if Trump does indeed have a habit of projecting his own qualities onto his opponents, that's an important thing to keep in mind, well, whenever Trump attacks somebody.