Donald Trump took the intriguing step of appearing by pre-recorded video at a press briefing – but the move has opened up the US president to becoming a meme yet again.
Trump’s message, played to journalists by White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, spoke of “major economic gains” being delivered by the tax cut he signed into law before Christmas. He finished by saying: “We are going to make America great again and it’s happening a lot faster than anyone thought possible.”
Hold on.
Donald Trump IS AT THE WHITE HOUSE, but just video conferenced into the White House press briefing because he was so afraid to face the press.
Never seen anything like it.
He’s literally 150 feet away from the room.
— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) January 4, 2018
Meanwhile, others thought the appearance threw up a range of comparisons.
Some said it felt “like a message from a Bond villain”, while others compared it to films such as V For Vendetta…
This was basically Trump’s prerecorded video at the press conference. pic.twitter.com/T2e69qHuHA
— Rob (@calmcajun) January 4, 2018
… or children’s TV series such as Power Rangers.
I give it two months before trump does press conferences like pic.twitter.com/3w4kvsTKCT
— ob3 (@ob731) January 4, 2018
Some even thought it was like something from George Orwell’s 1984.
This is so 1984 Orwellian. pic.twitter.com/L9ArMqRojD
— Joe G. (@cupofjoetogo) January 4, 2018
Others however decided the video appearance represented a golden opportunity.
With a sense of inevitability and the help of Photoshop the images of Trump’s head on the screen have been edited, making the event into a predictable meme – with some striking replacements for the president.
Such as Katy Perry’s sharks.
— val-holla! (@ValerieSprague) January 4, 2018
Or that Trump chicken.
weird trump video statement during the press briefing pic.twitter.com/k0uEPVt4pw
— Alazar Moges (@zarzarbinkss) January 4, 2018
And of course that picture of Trump playing tennis.
— Dave Choate (@DaveChoate) January 5, 2018
Trump’s video appearance comes as a book by Michael Wolff, Fire And Fury: Inside The Trump White House, is set to be released.
The book is said to paint the businessman as a leader who does not understand the weight of the presidency, and has been called “lies, misrepresentations and sources that don’t exist” by Trump.
Some political commentators have suggested his address by pre-recorded video allowed him to avoid questions on the book.
