On Thursday, the president of the United States got into a parked truck, honked, and pretended to drive.
The internet, of course, is having a lot of fun with the moment, which came right as the American Health Care Act (AHCA), the Obamacare repeal-and-replace bill, continued to struggle to get enough votes to pass the House.
This photo pic.twitter.com/v4Cy5QZpt9
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) March 23, 2017
The President is in the driver's seat the and the truck is, no, hm, struggling to complete this metaphor https://t.co/eiFHJFA4xT
— Kriston Capps (@kristoncapps) March 23, 2017
The truck is America https://t.co/eTrzOdO9BW
— Jamelle Bouie (@jbouie) March 23, 2017
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (2015) DP: John Seale | Dir: George Miller pic.twitter.com/EFz8LpQnBN
— Matt Scalici (@MattScalici) March 23, 2017
the driver on the bus says SAD! SAD! SAD! aaalll around the town pic.twitter.com/qnwyTOcey4
— john freiler (@johnfreiler) March 23, 2017
As health care vote gets scrapped for tonight, here's Trump in a big rig on the White House driveway honking the horn & pretending to drive pic.twitter.com/vTkNnJkrrc
— Steve Kopack (@SteveKopack) March 23, 2017
Is this the most important moment of Donald Trump’s presidency? Probably not.
But if you want to really extend this metaphor to death, here’s one possibility: Trump came into office expecting to, basically, Art of the Deal his way through the job — striking the best, most beautiful deals to repeal Obamacare, eliminate trade treaties, chase out undocumented immigrants, and bring back jobs. This was all a great act on the campaign trail, and Trump’s supporters loved it.
But much like Trump’s driving in the images above, it was all an act. And Trump is now learning that no amount of miming and showmanship will let him move the parked truck — or Congress — on the current debates about health care and future pieces of legislation if people and lawmakers just don’t like what he’s proposing.
Really, though, this is just a funny moment. Enjoy it.