Barack Obama reportedly asked George W. Bush how they could “stop what’s happening” during President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday, according to a lip reader. Jackie Gonzalez, a deaf woman known for interpreting celebrities’ and politicians’ private conversations on social media, shared a now-viral video detailing what she believed the two former presidents discussed during a candid moment at Trump’s swearing-in.
Footage of Obama and Bush sharing a laugh during the ceremony quickly went viral, sparking curiosity among internet users about what the 43rd and 44th presidents were joking about, the New York Post reported. According to Gonzalez, Obama greeted Bush with, “Good to see you,” as the crowd erupted into a loud round of applause for him.
Obama then appeared to thank the crowd before turning to Bush and asking, “How can we stop what’s happening?” The video shows Bush responding with a sly grin, breaking into laughter at Obama’s remark. It is unclear whether Obama was referencing Trump’s second term or the crowd’s enthusiastic applause, but Trump supporters are likely to draw the most daunting conclusion.
Gonzalez includes a disclaimer on her pages stating that lip reading is “not a reliable form of communication” and that “all statements are alleged.” Despite this, her followers found the potential commentary entertaining, resulting in the clip receiving 70,000 likes and 2,000 comments. “If only they would have had a split screen on the former presidents the entire time,” one commenter joked.
Assuming the remark was an attempt at dark humor to stop Trump’s second term somehow, it’s essentially meaningless given the new president’s popularity. A new CNN poll by SSRS reveals that many Democratic supporters believe the party must undergo major changes, feeling “burned out” by politics. The party now faces its lowest favorability ratings in over 30 years.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s return to political life is reshaping the GOP, as a majority of its supporters now view backing the president-elect as essential to being a true Republican. These developments occur within a broader climate of political dissatisfaction, where even Republicans are far more likely to report disappointment and frustration with politics than to feel optimistic, inspired, or proud, CNN noted.
“A 58% majority of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say that the Democratic Party needs major changes, or to be completely reformed, up from just 34% who said the same after the 2022 midterm elections, when the party retained control of the Senate but lost the House,” the outlet reported. “Over that time, the share of Republicans and Republican leaners who feel the same way about the GOP has ticked downward, from 38% to 28%.”
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