Could Barack Obama’s humiliating roast of him at the 2011 Correspondents’ Dinner be Trump’s villain origin story?

Just one week after Joe Biden announced that he wouldn’t run for office again, things seem to have taken a definite downturn for Donald Trump.

He’s slipping in the polls.

The ketchup is going to hit the wall in Mar-a-Lago after this new Fox News poll. pic.twitter.com/fGTQpgg2rQ

— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) July 28, 2024

His vice-presidential pick is a laughing stock.

How JD Vance’s tenure as Donald Trump’s VP pick has gone: pic.twitter.com/EMhzkjHabu

— Ally Sammarco (@Ally_Sammarco) July 29, 2024

And the removal of the giant sanitary towel has revealed that the injury to Trump’s ear in the assassination attempt was far less severe than he and his former White House doctor Ronny Jackson had led people to believe.

.@RonnyJacksonTX the photo on the left is my ear. I am holding a nickel up to my ear. It is 2.1 cm across. On the right is a photo of Donald Trump’s ear. The photo reportedly taken by the Associated Press on July 27th, 2024. If you could, please use the photo app on your phone,… pic.twitter.com/RAQs6IdWJ1

— Jack Hopkins (@thejackhopkins) July 28, 2024

His rallies are punctuated with rants about ‘Lyin’ Kamala’, sharks and windmills. He forgets where he is, what he’s trying to say, and the names of people he’s saying it about.

Good morning and Happy Sunday to everyone who agrees that aside from his dementia, diapers, deranged rambling on sharks and Hannibal Lecter, and 34 felony convictions, trump should not be President again because he’s old and WEIRD.

trump is fucking weird.pic.twitter.com/2gIcLyCclA

— BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️ (@mmpadellan) July 28, 2024

Some people have been casting their minds back to when Trump attended the Correspondents’ Dinner at the White House, where the incumbent President Barack Obama gave him the roasting he deserved.

I was doing some reasearch and had occasion to watch the 2011 White House Correspondents' Dinner again.

I remain quite convinced that it was the night Donald Trump decided he would destroy America. pic.twitter.com/SeqkcTekke

— Alex Andreou (@sturdyAlex) July 28, 2024

Perhaps not so much a villain origin story as a ramping-up-of-the-villainy story, but clearly a turning point.

These people agreed.

1.

President Obama roasting Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents Dinner will never not be funny.

It’s said that he was so humiliated by this that it spurred Bone Spurs Donnie to run for office.

If Obama’s remarks made him cry so much, then how he’s handling all those… pic.twitter.com/8DCSu7h483

— Art Candee (@ArtCandee) May 27, 2024

2.

I have watched this a few times and yes it is an inflection point. Trump is a dangerous, insecure idiot & swore revenge. He didn’t set out to destroy American democracy that was a corollary. He’s mendacious racist & using supine media & twitter hollowed out GOP & normalised lies https://t.co/lntZAuz0QX

— John Finn / Seán Óg Fionn (@SeanFionn) July 28, 2024

3.

Exactly what a narcissist fears. Humiliation.

— Guy Gadoire (@destryagain) July 28, 2024

4.

Flashback to the 2011 WH Correspondents Dinner when Barrack Obama roasted Trump for his birther attacks. Trump’s fragile ego was hurt.

That’s the moment Pumpkin McPornhumper became motivated to become president, so he could undo everything Obama did. Fucking prick. pic.twitter.com/zISqks7pBR

— cαηα∂α нαтεs тя☭мρ (@Trump_Detester) April 28, 2024

5.

100%

— Dom Joly (@domjoly) July 28, 2024

6.

Nothing worse than a billionaire scorned!

— Pranay (@pranman) July 28, 2024

7.

It wouldn't surprise me, but he'd never admit it. It festered in his sad & twisted childlike mind and now we see the result.

I did think it was a bit unfair though – you don't rubbish someone when they are a guest in front of you.

— Concerned US ally ‍✈️‍⬇️ (@gombrich_261209) July 28, 2024

8.

I imagine Trump is still seething from this , glorious stuff from Obama x

— Mike Briggs #FBPE #Pigoneer (@m1kebriggs) July 28, 2024

9.

Donald Trump sought out to destroy this country after Obama roasted his repugnant, reprehensible ass!

That really cut that mediocre man deep and he’s been on a mission since. ‍♀️ #TrumpIsBroke pic.twitter.com/F4BHeYtarH

— Charli Huxley (@ImKnotTheOne) February 29, 2024

10.

I thought of this as a sliding doors moment when Trump became the Republican nominee the first time.

— Amyn Merchant (@merchant_amyn) July 28, 2024

Given a time machine, we’re not sure that the President would go so hard again.

There’s no denying Obama can land a gag, but it really doesn’t look so funny now, does it?

— Alistair Barrie (@AlistairBarrie) July 28, 2024

We’ll leave this here.

Trump: And, they laughed at me. I hate when people laugh at me. I hate it. I hate it. pic.twitter.com/TS1KN0cQvE

— Acyn (@Acyn) July 20, 2024

You can watch Barack Obama’s entire speech on YouTube.

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Trump shaking Obama’s hand is *exactly* like this bit from Doctor Who

Source @sturdyAlex Image Screengrab