Getty President Donald Trump speaks to West Point graduating cadets.
President Donald Trump gave the commencement speech for the West Point graduation on Saturday, June 13, and a video quickly went viral showing him using two hands to drink a glass of water at the podium.
In the video, Trump raises the glass in his right hand and then uses his left hand to help guide the glass to his lips. It was one of two videos from the event that went viral on social media; the other showed him walking down a ramp slowly after his speech. Trump addressed the ramp video in a tweet but did not mention the water video.
Trump addressed the drinking water moment during his Tulsa rally on June 20. Although he spent most of his time talking about the video of his walking down a ramp, he also addressed the drinking water video. He said he had saluted 600 people that day and that First Lady Melania Trump said he was trying not to spill water on his tie.
Here’s what you need to know:
Trump Used 2 Hands to Raise a Water Glass
During his West Point speech, Trump picked up a glass of water with his left hand. The video shows that he appeared to stop just short of his mouth and then used his right hand to push the bottom of the glass the rest of the way to his lips.
Now the video and screenshots have gone viral, as people wonder what happened.
Here’s a screenshot of that moment.
CSPAN Screengrab
You can watch the full video of Trump’s speech from C-SPAN here.
The White House has a video of that moment here around 5 minutes in, but the camera isn’t showing Trump when he takes the drink.
Trump discussed the drinking water moment during his rally on June 20.
A Second Video Showed Trump Slowly Walking Down a Ramp After the Speech
Shortly after the drinking water incident, Trump walked down a ramp from the stage with what some thought was an awkward gait.
Trump later addressed his walk down the ramp in a tweet.
He wrote:
The ramp that I descended after my West Point Commencement speech was very long & steep, had no handrail and, most importantly, was very slippery. The last thing I was going to do is ‘fall’ for the Fake News to have fun with. Final ten feet I ran down to level ground. Momentum!
Trump talked about the ramp and water drinking moments during his rally on June 20.
Trump Has Been Called Out for Drinking Water With 2 Hands Before
Some have pointed out that this isn’t the first time Trump has used more than one hand to hold a glass or a bottle while drinking.
In this video from 2017, he uses two hands to hold a bottle of water:
He actually drank water twice during the same speech, but the second time he didn’t hold the bottle with both hands the whole time.
During a national security speech, he also held a glass with two hands while drinking.
CNN reported in 2018 about how Trump had his water covered during an interview:
One reason Trump’s moments with drinking water have gotten so much attention is that in 2016, he made fun of Marco Rubio for how he drank water. Ever since, the media and others have focused relentlessly on his water habits, too.
Newsweek even did a minute-long montage of Trump drinking water in 2017:
Here’s the speech in which Trump made fun of Rubio for how he drank water. This was while Trump was on the campaign trail in February 2016:
He was referring to how many times Rubio paused to drink water during his official response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union in 2013. Here’s the clip of Rubio:
Everyone was making fun of Rubio back then, and Rubio even made fun of himself later.
NBC News even did a video montage comparing Trump and Rubio in 2017:
Some people have also expressed concern about this latest moment, wondering why it appeared that Trump needed to use his left hand to help guide his right hand.
In November 2019, Trump had an exam and laboratory tests at Walter Reed Medical Center, BBC reported. This was 10 months after a previous annual exam had revealed he was “in very good health,” according to the White House. The Walter Reed visit wasn’t part of his schedule. Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said he had the test because he had a “free weekend.” In a tweet she said: “Further speculation beyond the extensive and honest info I put out is wholly irresponsible and dangerous for the country.”
Earlier this month, on June 3, the White House released Trump’s annual physical results, CNN reported. The physical said he gained a pound, weighing 244 pounds with a BMI of 30.5. His cholesterol dropped to 167 from 196 in 2019. White House physician Sean Conley wrote: “There were no findings of significance or changes to report.”
Trump had also recently taken a two-week course of hydroxychloroquine, along with zinc and vitamin D, USA Today reported. Trump’s electrocardiogram results were monitored while he was on the drug. Trump also takes a statin to lower his cholesterol. His blood pressure was 121/79 according to his latest annual exam.
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