The "Nodding Lady" wearing a red face mask over the president's shoulder drew plenty of attention.
Video screenshot by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNETPresident Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden held competing town hall events Thursday night, but the star of the show may have been ... neither candidate. Social media mostly focused on a mysterious woman in the Trump audience who frequently and emphatically nodded her head as the president spoke.
Neither Trump nor Savannah Guthrie, who moderated the Trump town hall, addressed the woman's presence during the event itself, but the online commentary flew, and the Miami Herald later identified her as Mayra Joli, an immigration attorney and pro-Trump activist who ran for Congress in 2018.
Joli, who wore a red face mask during the broadcast, earned the nickname "Nodding Lady" from many viewers -- and even has her own Twitter parody account now. Joli shared a video of herself speaking to the president on her Facebook page after the town hall. "We have your back! You see, you see, you are the best," she's heard saying.
Before being identified, Joli earned comparison with other viral scene-stealers, including the fly that landed on Vice President Mike Pence's head during his debate with Sen. Kamala Harris and "Left Shark" from the 2015 Super Bowl halftime show. "Nodding Lady is the Left Shark of 2020," one Twitter user wrote.
Nodding lady is going to be the Ken Bone of 2020.
— Adot Crawley (@AdotCrawley) October 16, 2020
I chose not to watch @realDonaldTrump on NBC for several reasons, but now I’m regretting my decision as I apparently missed an outstanding performance by “The Nodding Lady”.
— Karen Carzo (@FoodGirl4) October 16, 2020
Asked if he thinks abortion should be illegal, Trump says “I don’t want to do anything to influence anything.”
nodding lady nods
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) October 16, 2020
Journalist Katie Couric and comedian Sarah Cooper were among those who commented on Joli's frequent nods. "I'm channel surfing," Couric tweeted. "The woman to @realDonaldTrump's right keeps nodding her head, which I find very distracting."
Same. This woman is nodding at things before he’s even finished his thought. It’s a psychological trick and I cannot believe no producer, no camera person, NO ONE is stopping it
— Sarah Cooper (@sarahcpr) October 16, 2020
The Herald wrote a lively feature story about Joli in 2017, describing her as "a Brickell-based immigration attorney and five-time beauty queen who dabbles as a pundit on Spanish-language television." She was a lifelong Democrat who ran with no party affiliation, the story reported.
In that article, Joli called herself the "master of selfies," adding "I take pictures with everyone." The newspaper called her an "ardent" Trump supporter, and she compared herself to the president, saying that like Trump, she was not running for money or for fame, and that like him, she did not drink alcohol. She lost her election to Democrat Donna Shalala, earning just 2.5% of the vote in Florida's 27th Congressional District.
Before Joli was identified, many viewers wanted to know her story, while others thought she should be left alone.
Journalists, if you don’t find out who that woman is nodding behind Trump at an “undecided” voter town hall, then I don’t know what you’re getting paid for
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) October 16, 2020
Quick! A woman of color is nodding in agreement with Trump at a town hall. Dox her!!! Yeah this is gonna end well Tom.
— Michael Cave (@MichaelCave15) October 16, 2020
Who is nodding lady? The internet must find out. . .
— Robbie SK (@dcedgemom) October 16, 2020
No, but seriously - who is the nodding lady?
NBC has to know.
— Ryan Emond 🇺🇸🇺🇲 (@creativelytired) October 16, 2020
The fly that sat on the vice president's head ended up starring in a Saturday Night Live skit a few days later. Will Joli make it into an SNL sketch? "Nodding Lady will be on SNL this week ... and probably a Halloween costume next week," wrote one Twitter user.
Nodding lady will be on SNL this week...and probably a Halloween costume next week. 🤣😂
— Mo (@moffie613) October 16, 2020
Although the dueling town halls replaced a second presidential debate, stay tuned. Trump and Biden are expected to debate one more time, on Oct. 22.
from CNET https://ift.tt/3j4ydLt
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment