President Donald Trump sparked an awkward moment during the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary celebration at Naval Station Norfolk on Sunday, October 5, by attempting to provoke thousands of service members into booing former President Barack Obama, only to be met with dead silence.
Addressing a crowd aboard the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier amid a government shutdown that began October 1, Trump praised his former White House physician Ronny Jackson—also doctor to Obama and George W. Bush—before referring to Obama as “Barack Hussein Obama” and asking, “Have you heard of him?”
The pause hung heavy as the audience offered no boos or applause, prompting Trump to move on quickly. The event, which Trump touted as “the largest Celebration in the History of the Navy” on Truth Social, featured a rally-like atmosphere with flyovers and a naval demonstration, but was overshadowed by the shutdown’s impacts on federal workers and Trump’s ongoing health scrutiny.
The Awkward Obama Moment
Trump’s speech, delivered around 2:00 p.m. ET on the carrier’s flight deck before 5,000 sailors and families, included a tangent on his health amid media speculation about early dementia symptoms, citing bruising from handshakes and chronic venous insufficiency diagnosed in July, per White House physician Dr. Sean Barbabella.
Transitioning to Jackson, now a Texas congressman, Trump said, “Ronny Jackson is a man everybody loves,” before adding, “He was the doctor for Barack Hussein Obama… Have you heard of him?” The crowd fell silent, with no reaction, as Trump paused expectantly before continuing, per video footage.
The full name usage, often a Trump tactic to stoke controversy, echoed his 2011 “birther” claims questioning Obama’s citizenship. Jackson, who served under Bush, Obama, and Trump, faced 2024 House censure for altering Trump’s 2018 physical exam report.
Trump’s health comments addressed recent viral photos of swollen ankles and hand bruises, which Barbabella called “benign,” but critics like Stephen King tweeted, “Trump’s tangents are getting longer—someone check on him.”
Melania’s “Hooya Navy” Greeting
First Lady Melania Trump opened the event with an equally awkward greeting, stepping to the microphone in a white USA baseball cap and repeating “Hooya Navy” three times to a long pause before brief applause.
The phrase, the Navy’s battle cry associated with SEALs for boosting morale or confirming understanding, elicited confusion; social media trolled it as “cringiest thing I’ve ever seen,” with one user noting, “MAGA are losing it over Bad Bunny but his English is better than Melania’s,” referencing a viral Bad Bunny clip. Melania’s rare speech focused on military families, but the mispronunciation (typically “Hooyah”) dominated reactions, with #HooyaMelania trending on X.
The Navy Event Amid Shutdown
The celebration, held despite the October 1 shutdown—the 11th under Trump and first since 2018-2019—featured F/A-18 flyovers, a naval demonstration aboard the USS George H.W. Bush, and Trump’s pledge of military pay raises.
Trump wrote on Truth Social pre-event, “I believe, ‘THE SHOW MUST GO ON!’ This will be the largest Celebration in the History of the Navy. Thousands of our brave Active Duty Service members and Military Families will be in attendance, and I look forward to this special day with all of them.”
Trump accused Democrats of causing the shutdown to “have illegal aliens come into our country and get massive health care at the cost to everybody else,” implying they aimed “to destroy this wonderful celebration.”
The shutdown, triggered by failed budget talks over Obamacare subsidies and Trump’s rescissions, furloughed 800,000 federal workers and halted non-essential services.
Senate Democrats rejected a Republican CR extending funding to November 21, without $1 trillion in health care protections. Trump met with OMB Director Russ Vought on October 2 to plan cuts to “Democrat agencies,” with threats of mass layoffs if talks stall.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth spoke briefly, introducing Trump as “Commander in Chief,” a week after his September 30 Quantico speech ending “woke” culture and mandating “male-level” fitness standards. Hegseth, summoned 300+ commanders, railed against diversity and “fat generals,” announcing 10 directives including grooming rules banning beards.
Trump tries to goad the Navy into booing “Barack Hussein Obama” but is met mostly with silence pic.twitter.com/RONmjQglzB
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 5, 2025
What People Are Saying
On X, #TrumpNavyBoo trended with 200,000 posts. Supporters @MagaNavy posted, “Crowd too respectful to boo—Trump’s energy was electric!” Critics @BlueWave2025 said, “Awkward silence says it all—Navy won’t boo Obama for Trump.” Melania’s “Hooya” drew 100,000 memes, with #MelaniaNavyGaffe viral.
Democrats like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the event as “tone-deaf” amid shutdown furloughs.
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As the shutdown enters day 6, negotiations stall, with Trump threatening cuts to “woke” agencies. The Navy event, meant to boost morale, highlighted divisions, with shutdown impacts like delayed veteran benefits and national park closures fueling backlash.
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