![Please Clap Please Clap](https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/square/000/022/700/Screen_Shot_2017-04-12_at_10.19.41_AM.png)
Please Clap
Part of a series on Jeb Bush. [View Related Entries]
About
Please Clap is a phrase uttered by 2016 Republican Presidential Primary candidate Jeb Bush to a crowd of unenthusiastic supporters after saying a line in a speech he believed deserved applause. The moment came at the tail-end of Bush's failing campaign and seemed to observers a microcosm of a candidacy that failed to generate expected fervor. It experienced a resurgence as a meme with the rise of ironic Jeb Bush fandom following the 2016 United States Presidential Election.
Origin
On February 2nd, 2016, Bush spoke to a crowd in New Hampshire. Delivering a part in his speech in which he explained the sort of President he would be with regards to the military and foreign policy, Bush ended with a line he believed would generate applause. When the audience did not applaud, an exasperated Bush asked, "Please clap."
Spread
The moment instantly became a target of mockery for the media. On the 3rd, MSNBC[3] described "Please Clap" as "just a heartbreaking phrase because it comes from a candidate who thinks he’s delivering powerful, inspirational rhetoric, but who’s also reminded from time to time that in order to get any kind of real validation, he literally has to ask for it." Fox News[4] wondered "Is This the Most Cringeworthy Moment of the 2016 Campaign?" On the 4th, CNN ran a segment about the clip during which commentators said bluntly, "He his having a really bad campaign."
Mashable[1] included the moment in a list of the most awkward Jeb Bush campaign moments. On the 20th, two weeks after the incident, Bush dropped out of the race. On the 21st, a thread on /r/OutOfTheLoop[2] was posted asking about the origin of "Please Clap." The moment inspired several image macros mocking Bush.
![photoshopped pic of Jeb Bush loading a gun and asking to please clap photoshopped pic of Jeb Bush loading a gun and asking to please clap](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/001/242/608/6fb.jpg)
![Jeb Bush's face photoshopped over Bad Luck Brian's Jeb Bush's face photoshopped over Bad Luck Brian's](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/001/242/609/e2e.jpg)
![pic of a tuba and text saying a sad tuba sound is not as sad as Jeb Bush asking to please clap pic of a tuba and text saying a sad tuba sound is not as sad as Jeb Bush asking to please clap](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/001/242/611/eb5.jpg)
Post-election Resurgence
Following the election of Donald Trump and several months of his administration during which his favorability ratings were low, "Please Clap" began re-appearing as part of the" ironic":/memes/subcultures/ironic-memes Jeb Bush fandom online.
![Jeb Tried to Warn Us TRIE) TO WARN YOU YOU SHOULD HAVE CLAPPED](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/001/241/155/e4a.jpg)
![sign telling employees to please clap before returning to work and an image of an exasperated Jeb Bush sign telling employees to please clap before returning to work and an image of an exasperated Jeb Bush](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/001/242/616/4cc.jpg)
![Jeb Bush with face covered by bandanna and text asking to please riot Jeb Bush with face covered by bandanna and text asking to please riot](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/001/215/665/3a1.jpg)
Pete Buttigieg "Come On!"
On January 21st, 2020, Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg gave a speech to attendees of one of his rallies in Iowa. At the conclusion of his speech, he asked the crowd to "spread a sense of hope to those that you know." After a few mumbled "yes"-es, Pete urged the crowd, "Come on!" before applause finally broke out. The moment led to comparisons between Buttigieg and Bush's "Please Clap" moment.
We now have the Buttigieg "please clap" moment pic.twitter.com/Vjw3EoHAyC
— cursed-dem wine cave (@kallllisti) January 21, 2020
Various Examples
![Trying to Hold a Fart WHEN YOUAREJEB BUSH AND YOU HAVENT TOLD ANYONE TO PLZ CLAP IN5 MINUTES nemegenerator.rier](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/001/242/627/8b6.jpg)
![Just F--- My S--- Up Please Clap" Jeb Bush](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/001/242/628/fa8.png)
![Little Jebby PLEASE CLAP Little Jebbie](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/001/242/631/85b.png)
![Time Cover Person of the Year TIME JEB BUSH "PLEASE CLAP"](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/001/242/632/b60.png)
![Booty Clap PLEASE CLAP! mieniegeerator.rie](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/001/242/637/9d8.jpg)
![If It Pleases The Clap IF IT PLEASES THE CLAP MAY I BE CROWNED?](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/001/242/639/6fc.png)
Search Interest
External References
[1] Mashable – 'Please clap:' Jeb Bush's most awkward moments in one sad list
[2] /r/OutOftheLoop – What is with this "Please Clap" thing going on?
[3] MSNBC – Jeb Bush urges audience, ‘Please clap’
[4] Fox News – 'Please Clap': Is This the Most Cringeworthy Moment of the 2016 Campaign?
Top Comments
Nedhitis
Apr 12, 2017 at 04:15PM EDT
OnlineSoup
Apr 12, 2017 at 04:21PM EDT