Someone fainted in the Oval Office on Thursday, November 6, and lots of people are talking about President Donald Trump’s reaction… or lack thereof. Luckily, the man ended up being OK, according to an update from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. But people can’t get over the way Trump seemed to awkwardly stand there as others rushed over to help.
Video footage shows Trump get up and look at the man who collapsed behind him. He stood in place as others tried to do what they could to assist. Then, he turned back around and faced the cameras. A viral photograph shows him standing there as the medical emergency occurred behind him.
Of course, late-night comedians and people on social media couldn’t help but share their reactions to the photo. On The Daily Show, Jordan Klepper joked that the expression on Trump’s face is probably similar to what he would look like in couple’s therapy. “Everyone is attending to this guy,” Klepper said. “Meanwhile, Donald Trump is zoned out like he’s in a marriage counseling session.”
Klepper also described the photo as “a perfect metaphor” for what’s happening in the United States right now. “Our reality right now is that the president is spending his time doting on his pet projects and starting new wars, while the country is scrambling to deal with the immediate crises that he is actively ignoring,” he said. “If only there was a picture that would offer a perfect metaphor for this.”
One of Trump’s apparent late-night enemies, Stephen Colbert, also shared his thoughts. “Honestly, it was good to see everybody rushed to help him,” Colbert said, referring to the man who fainted. Then, he showed the viral photo of Trump looking away from the man and added, “Well, almost everybody, because this photo has been going around. Look at that. They got his legs up and everything. That picture is worth a thousand words, none of which I can say on CBS.”
On social media, people had similar reactions. One person on X wrote, “A man fainted in the Oval Office today, and Donald Trump couldn’t care less.” Another person wrote, “You can tell he’s [ticked] because this man had the audacity to faint and take the focus away from him.”
Many others agreed that the photo felt like a metaphor. Someone else on X wrote, “This is not a photo. It’s actually a visual metaphor of Trump standing by while the nation collapses.”
Some people defended Trump, saying he appeared “calm.” Others said it seemed like he had no idea what to do.
