‘Bro was really ragebaited by the dance’: Trump admits Maduro copying his moves annoyed him |
President Donald Trump has admitted that former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro infuriated him by copying his trademark dance moves, an unusual grievance the president aired publicly while addressing Republicans this week.Speaking during a lengthy speech at the Kennedy Center on Tuesday, Trump mocked Maduro, who is now in US custody, accusing him of imitating his signature on-stage dance.“He’s a violent guy,” Trump said. “He gets up there, and he tries to imitate my dance a little bit,” he added. “But he’s a violent guy.”The remarks immediately set off a wave of reactions online, with many users framing Trump’s frustration as thin-skinned and bizarre.“Bro was really ragebaited by the dance,” one person wrote.Another commented, “OK, so he did take Maduro because of the dancing. I mean come on it was obvious Trump is so thin skinned. I mean it’s flabby, but it’s still thin.”A third user took the opposite view, posting, “Maduro finding out real quick that copying the Trump strut comes with consequences; America’s back to walking tall again.”
Reports say Maduro’s antics pushed Trump over the edge
Trump’s comments come amid earlier reports suggesting that Maduro’s public behavior had become a serious irritant for the administration.It was previously reported that Trump reached his breaking point after Maduro was spotted appearing to imitate the president’s physical gestures, including his distinctive stance and movements. According to insiders, this mockery, paired with Maduro’s apparent indifference to Washington’s escalating pressure campaign, pushed tensions to a tipping point.Sources told The New York Times that Maduro’s singing and dancing in the weeks leading up to his capture were seen within the administration as deliberate provocation. Insiders said the antics were an attempt to call what Maduro believed was the Trump administration’s bluff.One such moment occurred during the opening ceremony of the International School for Women’s Leadership in December, where Maduro appeared to mimic Trump’s well-known fist-pumping stance.
Dancing, singing, and defiance before capture
Maduro had increasingly leaned into performance as part of his public persona. He was filmed dancing to an electronic remix of his own speech, “No War, Yes Peace,” alongside his wife Cilia Flores, who was also extradited to New York.The Venezuelan leader had previously made singing a recurring feature of his appearances. In November, he performed John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’, invoking the song as a message of peace.“Do everything for peace, as John Lennon used to say, right?” Maduro said while addressing a crowd. “It is an inspiration for all times. It is an anthem for all eras and generations, left by John Lennon as a gift to humanity.”That defiant attitude persisted even after his capture by U.S. forces. As he was shackled and escorted by DEA agents to a high-security prison on Saturday, Maduro reportedly wished them a “Happy New Year.”By Monday, however, the bravado appeared to have vanished.Maduro was seen limping as he was escorted to court, photographs showing the 63-year-old dressed in a greige prison jumpsuit, wearing shackles and handcuffs, struggling as federal agents led him to a waiting vehicle.He was later arraigned on multiple charges, including narcoterrorism. Several of the charges carry the death penalty.Trump’s unusually personal grievance, centered on dance moves rather than diplomacy, has added a surreal layer to an already high-stakes international prosecution, one that now appears destined to play out in a U.S. courtroom rather than on a public stage.
