Donald Trump Ducks ‘Les Misérables' Character Question, Internet Brutally Answers It For Him
Appearing on the red carpet ahead of a performance of the show at the Kennedy Center — the typically bipartisan institution which Trump has purged and controversially made himself chair — the president was asked by a reporter: 'Have you seen the musical before and do you identify more with Jean Valjean or Javert?'
Valjean, the heroic protagonist, seeks redemption after 19 years in prison for stealing bread. Police inspector Javert, meanwhile, is utterly obsessed with law, order and punishment.
Trump dodged the question.
'That's a tough one. The last part of that question, that's tough, I think,' he said, before turning to his wife, first lady Melania Trump, and saying: 'You better answer that one, honey.'
'I don't know,' he added. 'I've seen it, we've seen it a number of times. It's fantastic. I thought it was just about our first choice. That's why we got, and we have others coming — other great ones are coming.'
Watch here:
Trump's answer — or lack of one — quickly drew mockery on social media.
Some critics compared it to when Trump dodged a question about his favorite Bible verse. Others asked if he actually knew the 'Les Mis' story, which centers on an anti-government uprising, at all.
Many suggested he definitely identified as Javert.
Critics Expose The Massive Constitutional Flaw In Trump's Latest Threat
Maggie Haberman Sounds Alarm On How Trump Could Still Cling To Power After 2028
'Absolutely Despicable' Trump-Troops Rally Moment Sends Chill Down Critics' Spines
Seth Meyers Shreds Trump's 'Les Misérables' Visit With A Show-Stopping Punch Line
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Piers Morgan quickly backtracks after ‘mistakenly' posting photo of Trump wearing kneepads ahead of Putin summit
Piers Morgan said he thought a picture of Donald Trump wearing kneepads was a real image of the president preparing for his 'high stakes' summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding that he deleted the photo when he realized it was fake. The British tabloid host went on to claim that the satirical pic of Trump merely came across his social media feed and he immediately reposted it alongside well-wishes to Trump. Needless to say, Morgan faced a flood of mockery for posting the mocked-up photo of the president, something he acknowledged after deleting the image. Hours before Trump actually touched down in Alaska for the summit with Putin, which is part of an attempt by the president to secure a ceasefire agreement in the bloody Ukraine-Russia war, Morgan – who has enjoyed a long (and fraught) friendship with Trump – posted an altered picture of the president exiting Air Force One. Apparently believing this was a live photo and that the president had just landed in Anchorage, the Piers Morgan Uncensored host delivered a message of hope ahead of Trump's meeting with Putin. 'As President [Donald Trump] lands in Alaska, I wish him the very best of luck in trying to secure an end to the horrendous war in Ukraine,' Morgan tweeted. 'It's refreshing to see a U.S. president who genuinely prefers peace to war.' With the picture showing a waving Trump donning bright red kneepads, it didn't take long for Morgan to get inundated with comments from other users on X asking him if he was aware that he had shared a meme that was mocking the president. 'Did you intentionally post a photo with Trump wearing knee pads or are [you] just an idiot? Evil or idiot? Which is it?' one poster pressed Morgan, prompting the presenter to chalk it up his tweet to ignorance. 'No.. I didn't see the kneepads on that pic, so just deleted and reposted with a different pic!' Morgan replied. In response to journalist Tara Palmeri wondering what had happened because the post was 'quickly deleted,' Morgan gave a more detailed explanation. 'I saw the pic on my feed and mistakenly believed it was a live one, and didn't spot the mocked up kneepads,' he replied to Palmeri. 'I couldn't understand why so many people were laughing and raging about it. Then I realized, deleted it and reposted with another pic. My words remained the same.' It is more than a bit ironic that Morgan fell for an obviously fake photo when it was just a week ago that he trolled NewsNation anchor Chris Cuomo for getting duped by a blatantly obvious deepfake video of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) purportedly delivering a House floor speech denouncing the Sydney Sweeney 'good jeans' ad. 'Oh dear @ChrisCuomo - perhaps spend less time b*tching about me and more time trying to spot obvious fakes,' Morgan tweeted at Cuomo alongside several laughing emojis. 'You got clip i didnt pay attn I wont block you for saying how easy that is, my yappy friend?' Cuomo responded at the time.
New York Times
10 minutes ago
- New York Times
Zelensky Condemns Continuing Strikes by Russia as Putin and Trump Meet in Alaska
As President Trump touched down in Anchorage on Friday to meet with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia over the war in Ukraine, that country's leader, President Volodymyr Zelensky, criticized continuing Russian strikes as a sign that Moscow was not prepared to end the conflict. Mr. Zelensky posted a video on social media an hour ahead of the high-profile summit at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. He said Russia had struck several regions in Ukraine, including a central market in Sumy. 'The war continues, and it is precisely because there is neither an order nor a signal that Moscow is preparing to end this war,' he said. 'On the day of negotiations, they are killing, as well. And that speaks volumes.' Fighting continued on both sides, and Kyiv reported that Ukraine had struck an oil refinery in Russia's Samara region overnight. Mr. Zelensky, who was not invited to the summit in Alaska, said he was ready to work 'as productively as possible' to end the war and was relying on a 'strong position' from the United States to back Ukraine's demands and push for a cease-fire. European leaders and Mr. Zelensky told Mr. Trump on Wednesday that there could be no negotiation without a cease-fire, and that Ukraine must have a place at the table. European leaders were also iced out from Friday's summit, but continued to actively support Mr. Zelensky. The Ukrainian leader said he spoke with President Emmanuel Macron of France on Friday. Mr. Zelensky said that he was preparing for upcoming discussions and that 'tomorrow will start early for everyone in Europe.' Ukraine is 11 hours ahead of Alaska. It is not clear what discussions he was referring to and who would be a part of them. But Mr. Trump has said he would call Mr. Zelensky and European leaders directly after his meeting with Mr. Putin, and suggested that Mr. Zelensky could possibly join him and Mr. Putin in Alaska for a second meeting if there were real progress. The president said a three-way meeting in Alaska 'would be by far the easiest way' to mediate.
New York Post
12 minutes ago
- New York Post
American Eagle ‘almost paralyzed by body positivity' before it launched ‘sultry' Sydney Sweeney ads
American Eagle Outfitters has made a bold, divisive bet on its 'sultry' Sydney Sweeney ads — but only after its commitment to the 'body positivity' movement started to falter, experts told The Post. A decade ago, the mall-based chain's 20-year-old lingerie brand Aerie famously took off as millennials shunned Victoria's Secret and its leggy, angel-winged supermodels in favor of Aerie's ads featuring ordinary women and diverse body types. But recently, American Eagle's flagging sales show that 'inclusive fashion' has its limits — especially after the election of President Trump, experts say. Advertisement 7 Sydney Sweeney's provocative ad for American Eagle Outfitters has created a firestorm that's even drawn in President Trump. American Eagle 7 Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle was ratcheting up the provocative ads before the Sweeney campaign. American Eagle 'They were almost paralyzed by their body positivity movement and were cautious about coming across too sexy,' according to retail analyst Gabriella Santaniello, who heads up A-Line Partners. Advertisement In recent months, the retailer has been pivoting to more provocative looks — even before the Sweeney campaign rocked the internet late last month, Santaniello said. String bikinis and 'cheeky bottoms' that expose more of women's butts, for example, were previously only available on American Eagle's website, but started cropping up in its stores earlier this year, she noted. Susan Scafidi, director of the Fashion Law Institute, has likewise noticed 'edgier' looks and 'more sultry styling. 'This means featuring fewer boxy t-shirts and more cropped camisoles,' she said. 7 American Eagle has been edgier in its marketing even before the Sydney Sweeney campaign, experts told The Post. American Eagle Advertisement What's more — unlike competitors including Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, and the Gap — some pages on American Eagle's website have lately shown models going braless under various tops — and they aren't always subtle about it. 'All of the teen retailers shy away from the nipple,' Santaniello said. 'That's why it's so odd that they're going for it.' 7 Most teen retailers avoid the nipple look, according retail analyst Gabriella Santaniello. American Eagle Then, in late July, came the Sweeney spots. In one video, the 'White Lotus' and 'Euphoria' star tinkers under the hood of a vintage Mustang GT350 before slamming it shut, wiping her hands on the butt of her jeans — and peeling off in a cloud of burning rubber. Advertisement Days later, President Trump gushed that the ads were 'hot' and 'fantastic' after he learned Sweeney was a registered Republican. The company's shares surged 23% on Trump's comment, drawing comparisons to meme stocks. 7 American Eagle has been among the leading voices among retailers on body positivity messaging. Getty Images for Aerie 'They had to do something different,' said Hitha Herzog, a fashion management professor at Parsons School of Design. 'We have a conservative president in office and we are seeing conversations that skew away from body positivity, inclusion and diversity. 'American Eagle has always been good about knowing where the conversations are going,' Herzog added. Traffic to American Eagle's US website soared following the campaign's rollout on July 23, rising more than 60% on July 28 compared to the same day last year, according to data and insights company Consumer Edge. Meanwhile, however, left-wing critics seized upon the campaign's tagline 'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans'. In one clip, Sweeney explains that genes 'often determin[e] traits like hair color, personality and even eye color,' before declaring, 'My jeans are blue.' 7 The Sydney Sweeney American Eagle campaign includes scenes of the star looking under a hood of Mustang. American Eagle An ensuing fracas claimed the ads were promoting Nazi ideology, calling for boycotts of the 48-year-old company. According to a survey this week by Axios and Generation Lab, 39% of young women and 42% of Democrats said the ads made them less likely to buy American Eagle jeans. Advertisement In the week of Aug. 3, foot traffic at American Eagle stores dropped 8.9% on top of a 3.9% decline the previous week — far steeper than drops at rival chains including Abercrombie and the Gap, according to Pass_by. 'When a brand sees momentum stall so sharply, it often reflects a reputational or cultural factor,' said James Ewen, vice president of marketing for Pass_by. 7 Aerie won market share from Victoria Secret's teen brand, Pink. Bloomberg via Getty Images Advertisement American Eagle posted its only message about the ad so far on Aug. 1 on its Instagram account. 'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We'll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone,' the company said.
