At Mar-a-Lago, celebrations rarely stay small. What begins as a toast or tribute often swells into something grander, with music rising, cameras shifting, and the energy in the room subtly reorienting.
President Donald Trump has long favored spectacle over subtlety, and that preference doesn’t disappear just because the occasion belongs to someone else. The pacing changes, the crowd tightens, and attention gathers where it’s most welcome.
Even at 79, the draw of center stage still seems magnetic. A moment meant to honor love or loyalty can quickly evolve into something more performative — less about the milestone and more about who commands the room when the lights are brightest.
Over the weekend, the president took a trip to his Mar-a-Lago resort in West Palm Beach, Florida, and, to the surprise of many, first lady wife, Melania Trump, was also in attendance.
Instead of a private outing, the couple shared dinner on Feb. 14 amongst a large crowd, and Trump’s hubris was on full display.
Instead of a love song, the pair entered a room while Lee Greenwood’s song “God Bless the USA” played, according to videos posted on social media, showing Trump walking to his roped-off table as everyone in the room stood by and clapped for him.
After the president finally reached his table, the capping subsided as the room waited awkwardly for him to sit down, but he did not.
There was a pillow in his seat, and seemingly annoyed, Trump pushed the chair aside as Melania snatched the pillow up and put it in another chair.
However, the POTUS still didn’t take his seat as everyone was waiting, and he turned his attention to the band waiting on stage. The band wasn’t performing when Trump entered the room, as the song seemed to be playing over the PA.
He then began to do his signature dance and sway, his hands in the air as he looked at the stage, and the band members began to clap in anticipation of his obvious expectation of praise.
Social media users quickly weighed in, with many mocking what they described as the president’s constant need for applause. The clip, shared on Threads, as one social media user noted: “Trump making everyone stand and clap for him as he heads to his roped-off table at Mar-a-Lago,” setting off another round of eye-rolls in the comments.
“79 years and still seeking approval from daddy. Pathetic,” replied one user. “So embarrassing how people have to act in awe of him when he walks in or does his dumb dance moves,” added another. “Baby wants clappy,” one joked.
“Never seen something more ridiculous,” another noted while also critiquing Trump’s entrance song. “And this stupid music …”
One user noted that one woman standing close to the stage in the video looked especially loyal to the president. Her hands were clasped and held to her chest as she beamed at Trump with admiration while he danced. At one point, she also placed her hand on her heart.
“The woman in the long red dress, that’s the look of someone in a cult,” the user wrote, referring to a woman in a red look with curled blonde hair. Another agreed, “My thoughts exactly! Poor woman is brainwashed and blinded.”
“Omg and they all clap for the fat a– … hillbilly Trump. And the same stupid song,” read another reply, noting how everyone fell in line and joined the applause. Amid the jokes about Trump compelling the crowd to praise him, a woman’s overly dramatic reaction, which he never acknowledged, turned into a scene reminiscent of a comedy special. One person commented, “HAHAAHHAAHAHAHAAAHAAHA.”
The moment likely sullied the evening for Trump, who was caught looking miserable in a separate video, taken after the couple took their seats at the table. Melania was seen speaking to her husband, and Trump responded with a shrug and an annoyed expression, similar to her signature scowl at him.
“Trump didn’t look too happy at his Mar-a-Lago Valentine’s Day party,” one person observed. Others who noticed him slumped over as he banged on the table and reached for a drink.
Another implied, “Imagine all that money and power no real friends !? Or wife.”
For a man used to commanding arenas, the reception felt off and unusually quiet.
During a visit to Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Melania introduced her husband before he slowly made his way onstage, greeting her with a kiss and hug. Then came the pause. Trump stood there amongst a large crowd with his hand cupped to his ear, waiting for the kind of applause he’s used to summoning that never arrived.
Instead of the thunderous cheers he often basks in, troops and military families answered with restrained, almost polite applause. No chants. No swelling roar. As Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” played during his entrance, critics online quipped that the song had more volume than the room — and that without a few soldiers caught clapping on camera, you might’ve mistaken the moment for a rehearsal rather than a reception.
Great Job Niko Mann & the Team @ Atlanta Black Star for sharing this story.
