Jill Biden, the First Lady, didn’t receive the anticipated response on Thursday when she delivered a remark she thought would be met with applause. However, her attempt at humor failed to generate the desired reaction, prompting her to encourage the audience to applaud.
“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 stated.
Noticing the lack of response from the audience, the First Lady remarked, “I thought you might clap for that.” In response to her comment, the crowd quickly obliged and began clapping.
Biden’s comments were made during the Reagan Institute Summit on Education (RISE) held in Washington, D.C.
JILL BIDEN: "I've found that the common values that unite us are deeper than our divisions!"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 25, 2023
*crickets*
"I thought you might clap for that!" pic.twitter.com/UJEhPHyHRi
As stated by the Ronald Reagan Foundation and Institute, the yearly convention gathers education leaders from various parts of the nation. Alongside the First Lady’s remarks, the event featured speeches by former Republican Governor Asa Hutchison from Arkansas and Democratic Governor Wes Moore from Maryland.
“RISE will examine policy and practice from early childhood through postsecondary education and beyond. The imperative for education reform is even more salient as the United States emerges from the global pandemic. We must answer the call to modernize our education system and prepare for the challenges of the 22nd century,” The Reagan Foundation described the two-day conference, held on Wednesday and Thursday, on its website.
After the first lady’s statement, numerous users on social media swiftly drew comparisons to a notable incident during the 2016 election when former Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush asked his supporters to applaud at a campaign event.
