Donald Trump caught ‘conducting’ orchestra during Super Bowl National Anthem
4 February 2020, 12:49
With his arms raised like a maestro, the US President beats time during Sunday’s performance of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’.
Footage has emerged of Donald Trump conducting and gesturing along to a performance of the US National Anthem at an event to mark the 2020 Superbowl.
On Sunday, the US President watched the game with guests at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
Before the match between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers began, The Star-Spangled Banner was performed by American singer Demi Lovato. Usually, this is a moment for hands-on-heart and glistening eyes on the American flag, as the vocalist delivers elaborate melismas over the anthem’s melody.
Read more: What are the lyrics to the US National Anthem? >
The video shows Trump raising his hands like a conductor for the line “and the rockets’ red glare”. With a circular motion, he gestures beats 2 & 3 of the bar, before cueing the downbeat of the arrangement’s A flat/G flat chord.
In the following bars, Trump also points. Gesturing hello to friends, or cueing individual invisible instruments? We’re unsure.
Throughout his presidency, Trump has repeatedly said all Americans should “stand proudly” during the national anthem and respect the anthem.
According to the Miami Herald, the video was posted as part of an Instagram story by a real estate agent for a Russian-American firm who frequents Mar-a-Lago and other Trump properties and events.
