President Donald Trump set off another storm online on Thursday after cameras caught him clapping with one hand during first lady Melania Trump’s speech at the White House.
The event was meant to highlight a new executive order that aims to help young people who are leaving the foster care system. Melania Trump spoke first. She praised the order and asked Americans to support foster youth who often feel alone.
“This executive order gives me tremendous pride. It is both empathetic and strategic,” she said. “I predict this small spark today will ignite a profound and lasting nationwide movement.”
She spoke calmly. The room stayed quiet. Then the camera showed Trump doing the one-handed clap. His left hand stayed still. His right hand hit it with a soft sound that did not match the moment. People online noticed right away.
Some viewers compared it to other times Trump seemed awkward in public. They pointed to the slow walk down a ramp. The two-handed water drinking. The stiff standing posture. They joked that the clap was now added to the list.
Alexa: show me how a stroke victim claps.
— bounce2theounce (@bounce2theounc1) November 14, 2025
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Can a neurologist explain this?
— Jeffrey Luscombe (@JeffreyLuscombe) November 13, 2025
Get a load of Trump’s one-armed clapping. Forget about drinking water normally, can this guy do ANYTHING normally? pic.twitter.com/ny7jPjP3DY
— David Pakman (@dpakman) November 13, 2025
He looks like a poorly behaved seal.🦭
— Humpty Drumpf (@HumptyDrumpf) November 14, 2025
Is that a prosthetic left hand???? OMG
— Charlie (@charlie) November 13, 2025
Didn’t want to strain his tweezer stroking arm
— Andivizzle (@Andavizzle) November 14, 2025
He can’t move that arm. I bet he’s wearing a medical monitoring device of some sort under his shirt.
— JudiJ (@JLJohnston) November 14, 2025
Trump later stepped up to the podium and praised the new order.
“I am delighted to sign a historic executive order to make America’s foster care system better, fairer, and more effective than ever before,” he said. “All of this has been made possible by the first lady’s incredible devotion to America’s youth.”
The order focuses on education, job training, housing, and other support for young people who age out of foster care. It is part of Melania Trump’s Fostering the Future effort, which connects with her Be Best project.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt explained the plan the day before. “President Trump will be joined by the first lady in the East Room for an Executive Order signing aimed at expanding opportunities for education, career development, housing and other resources for young people transitioning from foster care to adulthood,” she said.
The Be Best website says the program gives scholarships and computer science training to foster youth. The site explains that students will “learn in a supportive environment” and gain skills that can help them find stable work.
Featured image via X screengrab
