While addressing House Republicans during a recent GOP retreat in Washington, President Donald Trump relayed a hilarious story about how First Lady Melania Trump is not a big fan of his iconic dance moves, which will be referred to throughout this article as the “Trump Shuffle.” In a viral video clip from the address, the president says his beautiful bride “hates when I dance.”
“She’s a very classy person,” Trump said while going on to describe how his wife of over 20 years has stated she wanted him to put an end to his crowd-pleasing dance moves when in public. “It’s so unpresidential,” the president’s wife told him, according to Trump. “I said, ‘But I did become president,'” the president continued, eliciting chuckles across the room.
“She actually said, ‘Could you imagine FDR dancing?’” Trump went on to say, bringing up Franklin D. Roosevelt, the country’s 32nd commander in chief, who was bound to a wheelchair after a battle with polio left his legs paralyzed. The president then said that maybe there was a long history that the first lady was unaware of concerning FDR and his dancing skills.
“And I said, there’s a long history that perhaps she doesn’t know. Because [Roosevelt] was an elegant fellow, even as a Democrat. The attack by Japan. He was quite elegant, but he wouldn’t be doing this, but nor would too many others,” Trump continued, according to The Hill. Later, the president went on to poke fun at transgender athletes competing in weightlifting competitions.
According to PEOPLE, Trump performed an imitation of transgender athletes lifting weights, a comedic bit he’s performed in front of a crowd on more than one occasion. Trump said the first lady also hates the spoof, calling it “terrible” and unprofessional. He then moved his arms in the way he believes a transgender weightlifter would.
The president has become widely known for the Trump Shuffle, which has made its way into popular culture and become a staple at many of his events and rallies. The dance has become so iconic it’s even been adopted by professional football players as a celebration after scoring a touchdown. Trump most often performs his trademark shuffle to the Village People hit, “YMCA,” released in 1978.
President Trump said he defended his dance to the first lady by discussing how fond his supporters are of his fancy footwork, but alas, he was unable to convince her of its coolness. “The dance, they really like it,” he said to the first lady. “She said, ‘They don’t like it. They’re just being nice to you.'” But the president wouldn’t budge on the matter.
"*" indicates required fields
“I said, ‘That’s not right. The place goes crazy. They’re screaming, Dance!'” The president has become well known for sharing personal anecdotes during speeches, whether they are formal occasions or not, which many of his supporters believe helps to humanize him and shows that he’s just a regular person like everyone else. Folks in the MAGA movement point to this trait of self-deprecation as being one of the keys to his ability to connect with common, everyday Americans.