--- description: Nancy Pelosi clapping at President Donald Trump the 2019 State of the Union quickly becomes a meme. title: Memers Applauded Pelosi's Clapping Moment at the SOTU image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5ad4c10ac5b41d6a/698944a097cdff23c66b7498/nancy-pelosi-donald-trump-clap-state-of-the-union.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Meme Makers Applauded Pelosi's Clapping Moment at the State of the Union by [Ashley Hoffman](/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 6, 2019 3:56 AM CUT  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claps during President Trump's State of the Union address in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 5, 2019. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claps during President Trump's State of the Union address in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 5, 2019.Doug Mills—The New York Times/Pool/Reuters by [Ashley Hoffman](/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 6, 2019 3:56 AM CUT After he applauded at his own State of the Union address in 2018, Donald Trump [went viral](http://time.com/5126189/donald-trump-state-union-clapping/ "undefined"). This year, it was his archrival, Speaker [Nancy Pelosi](http://time.com/5388347/nancy-pelosi-democrats-feminism/ "undefined"), who got all the applause online. For Americans watching along at home, the moment was so brief you might miss it. But a a New York _Times_ photographer Doug Mills captured a photo of Trump appearing to turn back to face Pelosi as she clapped with outstretched arms. > [](https://twitter.com/stan%5Felites/status/1092997515467579392) As always in the grand tradition of memes, the people see what they want to see, with Trump critics coming to the immediate conclusion that she was trolling the president. Viewers got right down to captioning with the snapshot with takes ranging from pointed to silly. See below for various takes on the [Nancy Pelosi SOTU meme](http://time.com/5522266/donald-trump-no-pelosi-introduction-state-of-the-union/ "undefined"). > [](https://twitter.com/oureric/status/1092981924715470850) > [](https://twitter.com/AsteadWesley/status/1092985204837441543) > [](https://twitter.com/colincampbell/status/1092981451266641920) > [](https://twitter.com/courtneyabree/status/1092989926482812928) > [](https://twitter.com/RedHeeledChick/status/1092970241355857920) > [](https://twitter.com/peter%5Fj%5Fdoherty/status/1092970384981282816) > [](https://twitter.com/sarahjean3/status/1092989265703829505) > [](https://twitter.com/leahmcelrath/status/1092985628067803141) > [](https://twitter.com/malikwrightnyc/status/1092970564333953025) > [](https://twitter.com/AnnCSloan/status/1092970637046439936) > [](https://twitter.com/theferocity/status/1092989722178265088) > [](https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1093132243390906368) **Another joke? The Nancy Pelosi papers moment that hat had people wondering “**[**what is Nancy Pelosi reading**](http://time.com/5520502/2019-state-of-the-union-address-tie/ "undefined")**?”** > [](https://twitter.com/EpiphanyTC/status/1092973140815372293) > [](https://twitter.com/jimgeraghty/status/1092970302236049408) > [](https://twitter.com/StevenTDennis/status/1092970287392481280) > [](https://twitter.com/SteveVaughn/status/1092973263624552449) > [](https://twitter.com/itsmebeccam/status/1092984158937219072) > [](https://twitter.com/desusnice/status/1092987689828265984) > [](https://twitter.com/Amy%5FSiskind/status/1092998916201697281) > [](https://twitter.com/alley%5Fhart/status/1092984850699694080) Someone compared the Nancy Pelosi photo of the clapback to Lucille Bluth of _Arrested Development_. > [](https://twitter.com/spicykezzinnugg/status/1092986834949496833) Besting them all, of course 2019 Super Bowl Maroon 5 halftime show singer Adam Levine was invoked > [](https://twitter.com/parkermolloy/status/1092992249745629184) Not everyone was into her clapping style. Criticism of clapping follows in the grand tradition of Nicole Kidman clapping memes. > [](https://twitter.com/RyanKirkley/status/1092987979025518593) > [](https://twitter.com/IngrahamAngle/status/1093002714135625728) This isn’t the first time she got this kind of treatment. When she emerged from the White House wearing a burnt orange, high neck peacoat and a pair of sunglasses and it resonated. Fans of the internet-crowned “[power move](http://time.com/5477993/nancy-pelosi-sunglasses-meme/ "undefined")” assembled behind Pelosi’s exit, which called to mind a certain vibe of as the 2016 viral photo of a Hillary Clinton checking her phone on a plane while wearing shades, captured by TIME’s White House photographers. But she has also gotten her share of Twitter jabs at her expense. When Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer took to a single podium to deliver their rebuttal following Trump’s Oval Office address last month, Twitter immediately moved in with a harsh meme offensive [joking about them awkwardly sharing one podium](http://time.com/5497640/nancy-pelosi-chuck-schumer-split-podium "undefined"). > [](https://twitter.com/ezraklein/status/1082823117787979777) > [](https://twitter.com/BillKristol/status/1082824616001835009) > [](https://twitter.com/waynejung/status/1082826873124589568) Another take? The pair looked like two stern, disappointed parents. > [](https://twitter.com/AaronFlux/status/1082824246999437312) > [](https://twitter.com/erinscafe/status/1082825458490593282) > [](https://twitter.com/MattBinder/status/1082824274543554566) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5522328/state-union-pelosi-clap-meme/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5522328/state-union-pelosi-clap-meme/"},"headline":"Meme Makers Applauded Pelosi's Clapping Moment at the State of the Union","datePublished":"2019-02-06T03:56:55.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:57:21.827Z","description":"Nancy Pelosi clapping at President Donald Trump the 2019 State of the Union quickly becomes a meme.","url":"https://time.com/5522328/state-union-pelosi-clap-meme/","keywords":["Newsfeed","politics","state of the union","nancy pelosi","Donald Trump","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5ad4c10ac5b41d6a/698944a097cdff23c66b7498/nancy-pelosi-donald-trump-clap-state-of-the-union.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Ashley Hoffman","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5ad4c10ac5b41d6a/698944a097cdff23c66b7498/nancy-pelosi-donald-trump-clap-state-of-the-union.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"President Donald Trump delivered the State of the Union address, with Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, at the Capitol in Washington","caption":"President Donald Trump delivered the State of the Union address, with Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, at the Capitol in Washington","creditText":"Doug Mills—The New York Times/Pool/Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5522328/state-union-pelosi-clap-meme/","name":"Meme Makers Applauded Pelosi's Clapping Moment at the State of the Union"}}]}] ```