(Headline USA) First Lady Jill Biden ran into an embarrassing moment reminiscent of former GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush this week when the audience failed to clap during her speech.
Holding forth at the Reagan Institute Summit on Education in Washington, D.C., Jill Biden delivered what she thought to be an inspiring speech, saying, “I’ve visited red states and blue states and I’ve found that the common values that unite us are deeper than our divisions.”
She then paused, waiting for the audience’s reaction. When they didn’t respond, she said awkwardly, “And, um, I thought you might clap for that.”
Then, the crowd laughed and clapped.
The humiliating moment was similar to one during the 2016 presidential campaign when Bush famously urged onlookers to “please clap” for him.
This isn’t the first time Jill Biden has struggled to inspire. In 2019, while campaigning for her husband, Jill claimed that, if Joe Biden was elected, Americans would say to themselves: “Finally, someone is standing up to the NRA and keeping our children and our schools safe.”
The comment only drew a response after Jill Biden complained, “That’s my applause line, come on!”
The First Lady has also complained about her husband’s inability to draw praise, claiming people don’t recognize how hard he works or how much “success” he’s had while in office.
“He’s just had so many things thrown his way,” she said on Saturday.
“Who would have ever thought about what happened with Roe v. Wade? Well, maybe we saw it coming, but still we didn’t believe it,” she continued, adding that Joe had “so many hopes and plans for things he wanted to do.”
Both of the Biden struggle from low approval ratings. Last year, Jill’s ratings dropped to an all time low, with her favorability among U.S. adults dropping 24 points in one year. In 2022, only 34% of people approve of her, whereas 58% approved of her in 2021.