Donald Trump was mocked online after Fox News cameras caught him watching the network’s live coverage of his own Fourth of July appearance.
The unusual moment unfolded before he took center stage for his “Salute to America” address, which was delayed by roughly two hours due to severe storms and lightning. Fox News had to fill airtime during the delay, and that’s when the cameras cut to Donald and Melania Trump backstage (via Irish Star).
They stood in front of the television that displayed the same live shot, creating a visual loop. A picture of the scene spread across social media, fueling waves of comments across X.
One user joked, “If you zoom far enough into the screen on the screen, you can see the soul of America.”
Another wrote, “My neighbor’s cat does this too.”
A third said, “Please don’t post this because it might rip a hole in the space-time continuum.”
Users even mocked him over the Iran conflict: “It’s so funny because to him this is like a bigger deal than Iran.”
Trump was also accused of being “obsessed with himself,” and even labeled as a “classic narcissist.”
“This feels like something straight out of a sitcom,” said another person who joined the chorus of netizens ridiculing the president online.
Trump ultimately took the stage after 11 PM and delivered a speech that celebrated America’s 250th anniversary (via CBS News).
“As we march into our 250th year, incredible, beautiful year it will be, we must never forget: There is no American freedom without American culture, and there is no American founding without the American people,” he said.
The president praised the country’s history and warned against what he believes is a resurgence of communism. Trump asserted, “America will never be a communist country.”
He also urged people to support the SAVE America Act, which requires proof of citizenship and voter identification for federal elections.
Ahead of his appearance at Mount Rushmore, Trump shared a video on Truth Social featuring a gold version of the monument with his face carved next to those of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
The clip’s voiceover declared, “I will be the greatest president for many, many years to come,” before adding, “And we’re gonna have a lot of fun tonight.”
Per ABC News, Taylor Rogers, a White House spokesperson, praised the idea in a statement. He said, “There would be no better addition to the iconic Mount Rushmore than the 45th and 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump.”
