How awkward! First Lady Jill Biden begs for applause after her speech falters at the Washington DC crowd
- First Lady Jill Biden, 71, was speaking at the Reagan Institute’s education summit when she suffered the faux pas when she spoke of uniting both sides of the political spectrum
- “I have visited red and blue states and found that the common values that unite us run deeper than our divisions,” she said, followed by silence
- Biden suffered a similar faux pas in 2019 when her “applause” faltered on her husband’s campaign
Jill Biden remained silent, begging for a reaction after a tough crowd didn’t respond as the first lady had hoped.
Biden, 71, was speaking at the Reagan Institute’s education summit Thursday when she suffered the faux pas while speaking about uniting the right and the left.
“I have visited red states and blue states and found that the common values that unite us run deeper than our divisions,” she said, which was followed by silence.
A flicker of confusion crossed the first lady’s face before she calmly accepted the awkward silence and joked, “And, um, I thought you’d clap for it.”
This wasn’t the first time Biden suffered from an awkward pause during her speech. In 2019, the professor’s “line of applause” fell through in Iowa after she promised her husband that she would stand up to the NRA.
First Lady Jill Biden, 71, was speaking at the Reagan Institute’s education summit when she suffered a faux pas when discussing similarities between right and left
A flicker of confusion crossed the first lady’s face before she calmly accepted the awkward silence and joked, “And, um, I thought you’d clap for it.”
“Finally someone is standing up to the NRA and keeping our children and our schools safe,” she said of her husband at the time.
She was greeted with blank stares and a silent audience before holding out her arms and saying, “That’s my line of applause, come on.”
The audience immediately beamed and laughed alongside Biden as she continued her speech.
Biden suffered a similar blunder in 2019 (pictured) when her “applause” faltered on her husband’s campaign
Their two slips recalled former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s awkward moment in 2016 when he begged the audience to “please clap.”
When he laid out what he thought America needed in a president – including a “quieter” president – the audience seemed to miss the mark, as no one moved to clap during the pause in his speech.
When Bush pushed aside the cornerstone of his speech and told the audience that he was “returning to the task of creating a more peaceful world,” the audience didn’t react.
Unlike Biden, who immediately laughed, Bush appeared more irritated and sternly urged the audience to applaud him.
Biden, an English teacher from Northern Virginia Community College, attended the RISE conference, which brings together educators from across the country. According to the Reagan Foundation, this year’s conference focused on “America’s recovery and resilience.”
Over the years, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and educator Sal Khan — including members of Congress and Ministers of Education — have attended the event.
Biden had already attended the event as second lady in 2018.
The First Lady thanked the Reagan Institute on Twitter for allowing her to speak out despite her faux pas, writing, “Thank you @ReaganInstitute for bringing together leaders from across the country to speak about the future of education. “Creating pathways to good-paying jobs isn’t a red or blue issue — it’s an American issue we can all agree on.”