Donald Trumps Water Break

2017Viral video / political gaffedead

Published March 30, 2026

Also known as: Trump Water Bottle · Trump Fiji Water

Donald Trump's Water Break is a November 2017 viral moment in which President Trump awkwardly paused a White House press conference to sip from a bottle of Fiji water, drawing immediate comparisons to Senator Marco Rubio's 2013 water break, which Trump had mocked for years1. The irony of Trump doing the exact thing he'd ridiculed a political rival for turned the clip into an instant Twitter spectacle, with Rubio himself jumping in to roast the president's technique2.

trump memespolitical satire memeshypocrisy memes2017 memesbackfire memes

Overview

The meme centers on footage of Trump stopping mid-speech at the White House Diplomatic Reception Room to search for water, failing to find it at his podium, then awkwardly grabbing a bottle of Fiji water from a nearby table and drinking with both hands while trying to keep the bottle out of camera view1. What made the moment a meme wasn't the act of drinking water itself but the years of context behind it. Trump had relentlessly mocked Marco Rubio as a "total choke artist" for taking a water break during the 2013 Republican response to Obama's State of the Union address2. Now Trump was doing the same thing, on camera, from a bottle no less, after once tweeting that Rubio should have used a glass3.

Origin & Background

Platform
White House press conference (source event), Twitter (viral spread)
Key People
Unknown, @AdamTheCreator
Date
2017

On November 15, 2017, President Trump held a press conference to recap his 11-day trip to Asia, during which he'd met leaders from China, the Philippines, and other nations4. Midway through his remarks, he stopped and stooped to look for a water bottle behind the podium. When he came up empty, he said, "They don't have water. That's OK"1. A staffer alerted him to a bottle of Fiji water on a small table to his right2. Trump unscrewed the cap, took a drink with both hands, and resumed speaking. He took a second swig later in the speech2.

The backstory is what made the moment explosive. During a February 2016 campaign rally in Fort Worth, Texas, Trump had mocked Rubio's 2013 State of the Union response water break at length2. He'd imitated Rubio staggering on stage, saying "I need water. Help me, I need water," before holding up a bottle, announcing "It's Rubio!", and splashing water around before tossing the bottle behind him1. He'd also called Rubio a "total choke artist" over the incident2.

How It Spread

Within seconds of Trump's sip, Twitter exploded3. The earliest tweets drew direct parallels to Rubio's 2013 moment, pulling up old clips and Trump's own tweets mocking the senator4. Trump had previously tweeted, "Next time Marco Rubio should drink his water from a glass as opposed to a bottle, would have much less negative impact," making his use of a bottle especially pointed1.

Rubio responded within minutes. He retweeted video of Trump's water break and wrote: "Similar, but needs work on his form. Has to be done in one single motion & eyes should never leave the camera. But not bad for his 1st time"2. The tweet picked up more than 21,000 retweets and 81,000 likes in under 24 hours4.

Instagram user @AdamTheCreator created a special effects video the same day showing Trump shrinking in size as he sipped from the bottle, with a fake news chyron reading "Trump Dazzles with New Trick." The video pulled in over 120,000 views and 9,400 likes within 24 hours4. Twitter published an official Moments page compiling the best reactions4. Multiple outlets covered the story, including NBC News1, The Independent2, Mashable3, and Uproxx4.

Wikipedia editors also got in on the fun, making joke edits to relevant pages almost immediately after the clip aired3. A White House pool report later confirmed the brand was Fiji water3.

How to Use This Meme

This isn't a reusable template in the traditional meme sense. The humor comes specifically from the irony of Trump doing something he'd spent years mocking someone else for. People typically reference it by:

1

Posting the Trump water clip alongside his old Rubio mockery clips for contrast

2

Sharing Trump's old tweets about Rubio's water break alongside screenshots of Trump drinking

3

Using the moment as a general example of political hypocrisy catching up with someone

4

Referencing it whenever a politician gets caught doing the exact thing they criticized

Cultural Impact

The moment became one of the more memorable examples of a politician's own words boomeranging back on them in real time. NBC News noted the parallel was "reminiscent of another ill-fated political water bottle sip" and observed that Trump had been "merciless" about Rubio's original gaffe1. The Independent framed it as Trump having "violated his own advice on water breaks"2. Mashable pointed out that Trump "should have realized stopping his remarks to sip some water wasn't an option" given his history3.

Rubio's good-natured response, offering Trump form tips rather than expressing anger, was widely praised as the best possible reaction to the situation2. The senator seemed genuinely over it after nearly five years of Trump's ribbing3.

Fun Facts

The water was Fiji brand, confirmed by a White House pool report3.

Trump tried to keep the bottle away from his body and out of the camera's view while unscrewing the cap, making the moment look even more awkward1.

Trump's original mockery of Rubio happened at a February 2016 rally in Fort Worth, Texas, where he physically pantomimed Rubio's desperation for water before splashing it around the stage2.

Rubio's 2013 water break had become its own meme, with the senator later leaning into it by posting a photo of himself with a water bottle on Twitter4.

After his lengthy Asia trip remarks, Trump did not respond to shouted press questions about whether Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore should quit his race1.

Frequently Asked Questions