US President Donald Trump has delivered his first televised speech to Congress since reclaiming the Oval Office six weeks ago. Speaking to US legislators on Tuesday (March 4), discussed a wide array of topics, from international tariffs, potentially mending relations with and his ambitions regarding Greenland.
Not afraid to voice their opinions, Democratic representatives made their stances clear, most notably when Congressman Al Green was reportedly escorted out of the chamber just five minutes into the address for his persistent heckling and refusal to heed the House Speaker's orders to sit down.
However, surgeon Eithan Haim from Dallas, Texas, claimed there was "so much more" that didn't make it on camera. Positioned directly behind the Democrats in the gallery, he said his vantage point gave him a "perfect bird's eye view of everything". Taking to the social media platform , Haim shared what he picked up on that the cameras might not have.
1. Democrats and their guests 'didn't applaud'Haim said that the and their guests largely withheld applause throughout, remaining seated and silent even during emotionally significant moments of the speech. He described the lack of applause from the Democrats and their guests was described as "heartbreaking to see."
Apparently, Democrats were seen engrossed in their phones too. Haim elaborated on his first point, stating: "During these moments I could see entire rows of Democrats staring down at their phones. I was close enough to see what they were looking at - most were texting or scrolling through social media feeds."
He noted that the only thing that diverted their attention from their phones was when Trump mentioned spending hundreds of billions of dollars on . According to Haim, this was the only time during the speech that generated enthusiastic, collective applause.
2. Nancy Pelosi acting as the 'pit boss' for the DemocratsThe Dallas surgeon also observed: "After Al Green started yelling and shaking his cane at Trump, the first person security approached was not Green but , almost like she was the pit boss for the Dem side. I could tell she [was] not pleased since I didn't even see her turn her head towards the security guard.
"This would have required Pelosi to look towards her right side which was the direction where Green was embarrassing himself in front of the country."
Haim claimed: "While the cameras were focused on the characters on the chamber floor, they missed the ones in the gallery." He observed a young woman dressed in sweatpants, who was "fully passed out for the entire speech".
The surgeon didn't believe this was "an act of protest or defiance" but rather that she was genuinely asleep, cleverly using "the tight seating in the gallery to her benefit - relying on her neighbours' shoulders and arms to achieve the most comfortable position possible for an extended tiger snooze".
Another character he noticed in the gallery was a young man sporting a "voluminous shoulder-length mullet, a Lieutenant Dan-esque military jacket and blue jeans". He overheard someone nearby suggesting this individual "was likely one of Peter Thiel's famous tech prodigies."
4. Journalists with the same MacBookJournalists all seemed to have the same accessory - MacBooks. Haim further observed: "Then there was the entire row of mainstream media journalists - about a dozen or so - directly behind Trump in the gallery.
"What made this stand out was that they all had the same grey MacBook which formed a wall of apple logos. It was too symbolic for the current moment in American history."
5. 'Indescribable energy' from the RepublicansThe surgeon also highlighted the 'indescribable energy' emanating from the , describing it as "truly a sight to see such an impressive group of people, from every possible background and every political persuasion coalesce around a shared vision".
Haim concluded his thread on X by emphasising this as "one of the most important moments in American history" - and expressed his gratitude for being able to be a part of it, thanking Senator John Hawley for inviting him as a guest to the speech.