On Wednesday, a little before noon, President Donald Trump addressed the nation from the White House.
The address was described as incoherent, rambling, full of slurred words and contradictory messages and demonstrative of a bellicose foreign policy mindset.
And that was from conservative commentators.
One other thing people noted was the sniffing.
The President stood at the podium for about 9 minutes. During that time he sniffed 58 times.
That's 6.44 times per minute. Or approximately once every 10 seconds.
Are there no tissues at the White House? With all of the supporting cast huddled around him, could no one hand him a handkerchief?
Writer Timothy Burke shared a greatest sniffs highlight reel with Twitter.
Burke captioned the post:
"58 times. He sniffed 58 times during his address. Here are all of them."
So glad someone was able to put a number on the sniffing. He is Special.
— Glenn Tabor 🆘🌊🌊 (@kobelicious1) January 8, 2020
Commander-in-Sniff 👃🏻
— John Watson Illustration (@jbwillustration) January 8, 2020
This is hysterical.
Incredibly depressing, sad, terrifying and gross...
But absolutely f'ng hysterical.
😂😂😂😂
— Jo (@JoJoFromJerz) January 8, 2020
Actor Mark Hamill captured the sentiments of many when he shared Burke's post with the caption:
"I like his speeches with all the words removed much better."
So do I. They make more sense.
— Janis Bradley (@janisbradley14) January 8, 2020
They hold about as much content as the ones with words, too.
— George Hayduke 🆘️ (@GeorgeHayduke16) January 8, 2020
They make more sense.
— J. Carretto (@StarmapperJoe) January 8, 2020
Well said,Mark. I wish we still had Obama as president.
— Kate 💖 (@Kateskywa1ker) January 8, 2020
People agreed it made for a much more authentic, truthful presidential address.
At least we know the sniffing is real, everything else is the lie.
— Special Agent Armando Barreda 💚 (@Agent_Armando) January 8, 2020
Hey a Trump speech without a single lie.
— Polar Nerd (@Polar_Nerd) January 8, 2020
Although some felt not enough had been removed to make the address palatable.
I prefer speeches with Trump removed.
— Duderino 💚⚔️🔥 (@DudeAcheson) January 8, 2020
I will like all the speeches with him removed much better. pic.twitter.com/16y4q8EmTC
— RaRa Avis Press 🕷🍑💪🏼 (@RaRaAvisPress) January 8, 2020
People checked to see if allergens in the White House were an issue for prior Presidents.
Which led to revisiting theories about the sniffing.
I Googled "Obama sniffling" just to see if this was a thing people point out about presidents... I got a bunch of articles about Trump sniffling.
So... no... it's just a Trump thing.
— Pé Resists (@4everNeverTrump) January 8, 2020
https://t.co/yNlH2sWGj8
— Bob Resists (@ResistsBob) January 8, 2020
So, is the Sudafed to counteract the effects of the Adderal?
— Rocky Mountain Views (@RockyMountViews) January 8, 2020
This president is brought to you by Adderall pic.twitter.com/KajdarRs6T
— ElElegante101 (@skolanach) January 8, 2020
Rumors and accusations that the President uses Adderall in a manner not intended have circulated for years but the allegations became more than rumor when a former staffer from The Apprentice claimed it was true.
Someone suggested peeing in a cup might be warranted.
The address began over 45 minutes late.
After having all of the supporting players enter from stage right, almost two minutes more of awkward shuffling took place.
Finally Trump made a dramatic entrance from behind those gathered, backlit brightly and through double doors that appeared to open on their own. Deliberate effort was taken to obscure those who actually opened the doors from the view of the cameras and to stage his entrance.
Watch the full address here:
While the orchestrated entrance and the address were high in drama, ultimately people found it low in substance.
To create your own presidential address, the Donald Trump Talking Pen is available here.