President Donald Trump‘s appetite for praise is hardly a secret. The grandfather of 11 has long leaned into the spotlight, often stretching moments of adoration longer than most politicians would dare.
That dynamic was on display Monday when Trump dropped in on a retreat for Republican lawmakers hosted by the Congressional Institute at his Trump National Doral Golf Club in Doral, Florida. The president stopped by the gathering to fire up the room as he spoke about his war in Iran.
As Trump stepped to the stage and slipped into one of his familiar swaying dances, the Republican officials standing behind him seemed eager to show their devotion. What followed quickly took on the feel of an unspoken competition, with allies appearing to try to outdo one another in demonstrating their loyalty to the commander in chief.
The retreat was for the Republican Members’ Issues Conference. Trump often enters the stage to the song “God Bless the USA” while at MAGA rallies and events, but the song never ends when the commander in chief reaches the podium. Folks are often left standing as they look on in awkward, never-ending applause as the song drags on and Trump performs one of his signature dances.
The case was no different while addressing members of the Congressional Institute, the group that organizes the event, at his Trump National Doral golf club, and video captured several Trump officials clapping away as Trump stood at the podium and basked in the limelight.
House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer appeared onstage with the president, and they all clapped enthusiastically as the song dragged on and Trump did his swaying side-to-side dance.
At one point, Scalise stopped clapping, but quickly started again when he realized the music was still playing and no one else had followed his lead. A video of the moment was shared on Threads with the caption, “oh my goodness — watch Mike Johnson, Scalise, Emmer, and McClain clap like seals for Trump for nearly two minutes straight. None of them want to be the first to stop!”
Reactions on social media varied, with one person noting how everyone had to keep clapping. “They’re all so terrified of him haha,” wrote one, which prompted the well-informed response, “Because his rabid base is terrifying.”
Another user joked, “Somewhere there’s a circus missing all of its clowns.”
The display was apparently too much for one user, who replied, “It’s making me sick!!”
A final user joked, “Did they kneel as well?”
The praise also made it to Johnson’s speech about Trump.
“He is the man for the moment,” he gushed about Trump. “Anytime this president sees a problem, he jumps right in to fix it.”
Trump went on to blame the Democrats for high oil prices, but not his illegal war in Iraq. The president ordered a joint attack with Israel on Iraq on Feb. 28, and as a result a Tomahawk missile was fired onto a girls elementary school in Minab.
Trump said of the attack, “We took a little excursion because we felt we had to do that to get rid of some evil, and I think it’s going to be a short-term excursion.”
A newly released video suggests a US Tomahawk missile likely struck an Iranian elementary girls’ school in Minab, killing 175 people, most of them children. The US had previously accused Iran of the attack. pic.twitter.com/9e7A72f79c
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 9, 2026
At least 175 people, mostly little children, died in the attack.
