State of the Union: Moments that got social media talking

Speaker Nancy Pelosi clapping Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption A photo of Nancy Pelosi clapping after Mr Trump's address has gone viral

As US President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union address to Congress, many people took to social media to discuss the event.

Among the political analysis and partisan debate, a number of altogether more light-hearted talking points sprung up.

The #PelosiClap

It is perhaps unsurprising that Nancy Pelosi became the subject of one of the most popular memes on the night.

The new House Speaker, de facto leader of the Democratic Party, sat behind President Trump during his address and is one of the most high-profile opponents of the president.

Many on social media thought this political rivalry was captured in a photo of Ms Pelosi applauding after Mr Trump called for compromise in politics.

The image, termed the "Pelosi clap", quickly went viral.

Wonky neckwear

The State of the Union is an opportunity for the president to inform the nation of his goals for the year ahead. But some were distracted by less weighty issues - the position of his tie.

Many took to social media to point out that the president's trademark red tie was off-centre.

Others joked that the askew tie was part of the pro-Trump QAnon conspiracy theory.

In perhaps the surest sign that Mr Trump's tie placement became a key talking point, it got its own Twitter account.

Jobs for women

A group of female Democratic lawmakers standing up and enthusiastically cheering is perhaps not what many people expected to see during President Trump's address.

However, after the president said that women "filled 58% of the newly created jobs last year", that is exactly what happened.

Many of the Democratic lawmakers cheering took office after the recent mid-term elections, which saw a record number of women elected, and the Democrats win a majority in Congress.

The irony of this was not lost on many Twitter-users.

While many suggested that Mr Trump didn't intend for his comments on female employment to be associated with the electoral success of Democratic congresswomen, the president did go on to praise the influx of female lawmakers.

What is Pelosi reading?

During the almost 90-minute address, many social media users seemed preoccupied by trying to guess what Nancy Pelosi was reading.

Some took to Twitter to suggest that Ms Pelosi was being "disrespectful" by reading while the president spoke.

Green screen?

After President Trump finished his address, Stacey Abrams delivered the Democratic response.

While the Georgia politician spoke about immigration, voting rights, health care and the economy, many online honed in on the way the address looked.

Ms Abrams could be seen stood at a lectern in front of a group of people blurred out behind her.

Many wondered if she was appearing in front of a green screen.

However, as can be seen below, after Ms Abrams finished speaking and the camera zoomed out, it is clear that a green screen was not used.

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Media captionStacey Abrams: 'We want Trump to tell the truth'