A young man sitting behind him became the involuntary star of Donald Trump’s rally at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia. Framed several times by live cameras, in a dark suit and red tie, he seemed to reproduce almost in sync the gestures, expressions and head movements with which the US president accompanies his speeches.
The video relaunched on social media
The clip, cut from the live broadcast, began circulating on the platforms a few hours after the rally, collecting a significant volume of shares and comments. In the images the young man moves his hands like an accordion, positions his lips and nods following the cadence of the speaker, while those sitting next to him seem to notice. The same footage showed other spectators distracted behind Trump, some looking at their phones.
The identity of the young man has not been ascertained and it is not clear whether it was a joke or a game. The president was addressing foreign policy issues, with a passage on the recent conflict with Iran. In the United States, the audience behind the speaker is not random: it is selected by the staff precisely because it is the portion of the shot that reaches viewers at home and on social media.