Biden supporter who mocked Trump's dance moves on TikTok inadvertently becomes a 'MAGA icon' after Ivanka tweets that she 'loves' the viral video
A Biden supporter inadvertently became a '‘MAGA icon' after she posted a video mocking President Trump’s dance moves — and Ivanka Trump shared it, mistakenly believing it was supposed to be flattering.
After a clip of Trump dancing jerkily to the YMCA at a rally this month circulated online, Julia Keith, 26, studied his unique moves and recreated them on TikTok, uploading side-by-side videos of the pair doing the same dance.
Soon, her video was going viral, with conservative news sites and social media accounts praising the new Trump-inspired dance trend — but Julia has since made it clear she was laughing at the President, not with him, and is actually voting for Joe Biden this year.
Dance inspiration: Julia Keith, 26, shared a video of her copying Trump's jerky YMCA dance at once of his rallies
'It was so bad, it was impressive,' she later said of his 'ultimate white dad type of dance moves'
'I’d been dancing my whole life. I did classical ballet for 15 years and I got up to try to do his dance and I was stumped. It took me an hour,' she said
Not a fan: She told Buzzfeed it was 'definitely not a pro-Trump dance'
Viral fame: Julia uploaded her video on October 17, and quickly earned 6.6 million likes
Julia uploaded her video on October 17, and quickly earned 6.6 million likes.
In the video, she stands in her kitchen wearing shorts and Vermont sweatshirt, copying Trump's awkward dance moves and claps.
She told BuzzFeed that she was struck by how bad the dance was, and it was 'definitely not a pro-Trump dance.'
'I thought the dance was hilarious, it was the ultimate white dad type of dance moves,' she said. 'I’d been dancing my whole life. I did classical ballet for 15 years and I got up to try to do his dance and I was stumped. It took me an hour.
'It was so bad, it was impressive,' she added.
While many viewers seemed to get that she wasn't meaning to flatter the President, her clip started getting more and more pro-Trump viewers, with the number only growing as TikTok's algorithm began targeting more conservatives.
Julia was shocked that so many Trump supporters were praising her and didn't seem to pick up on the fact that she was mocking him
Whoops! She later posted a follow-u with all the 'Trump 2020' comments, expressing concern that she had become a 'MAGA icon'
Trendy? Some thought it was a 'TikTok challenege' and that people were doing 'the Trump' as a trendy new dance
She's a fan! Even Ivanka Trump shared it on Twitter, writing: 'Love it!'
Not what she intended: Julia shared Ivanka's response in a follow-up video, blowing her a sarcastic kiss
'It took a hard right...pun intended,' she said. 'There were a lot of 40- to 50-year-old people commenting, which is not my niche. I'm more alt TikTok.'
Soon, MAGA viewers were sharing her video on other social media channels, including Twitter.
'Everyone is doing the Trump!' wrote one, while news sites called the dance a 'viral trend.;
'People told me on Facebook their parents were sending it around being like, "We need more girls like her,"' Julia said.
On October 18, Ivanka herself saw the video and retweeted it, writing simply: 'Love it!'
Her endorsement: Julia and signed off with images showing that she was voting for former Vice President Joe Biden
Julia was surprised that the MAGA hat crowd didn't realize that was is mocking the President.
'At first, it was nice to see people were enjoying it, but then after a little bit I stopped and listened to myself and said, "OK, where is this gonna go from here?" she told Rolling Stone.
'"Should I say something? Is this going to influence people’s votes? Will people see this and feel like Trump is humanized? Can a dance make someone vote for a candidate?" I was contemplating a lot,' she added.
'It’s been mind-boggling to me to watch how divided the reaction was. And the funny thing was, I didn’t get a lot of hate, because each side was totally oblivious to the other,' she said.
Later, she posted a follow-up on TikTok, explaining that she posted 'a video mocking Trump' but became 'a MAGA icon.'
'This is not what I intended,' she added.
Julia recorded herself dancing along to the supportive comments and also covering her face in embarrassment — and signed off with images showing that she was voting for former Vice President Joe Biden.
No comments: