# Donald Trumps Water Break > Donald Trump's Water Break is a November 2017 viral moment capturing President Trump awkwardly pausing a White House press conference to sip Fiji water, ironically mirroring Senator Marco Rubio's 2013 water break that Trump had previously ridiculed. 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 years[1]. 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 technique[2]. ## Origin 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 nations[4]. 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 right[2]. Trump unscrewed the cap, took a drink with both hands, and resumed speaking. He took a second swig later in the speech[2]. 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 length[2]. 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 him[1]. He'd also called Rubio a "total choke artist" over the incident[2]. - **Platform:** White House press conference (source event), Twitter (viral spread) - **Creator:** Unknown (community-created from press conference footage), @AdamTheCreator (notable remix) - **Date:** 2017 ## 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 view[1]. 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 address[2]. Now Trump was doing the same thing, on camera, from a bottle no less, after once tweeting that Rubio should have used a glass[3]. ## How It Spread Within seconds of Trump's sip, Twitter exploded[3]. The earliest tweets drew direct parallels to Rubio's 2013 moment, pulling up old clips and Trump's own tweets mocking the senator[4]. 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 pointed[1]. 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 hours[4]. 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 hours[4]. Twitter published an official Moments page compiling the best reactions[4]. Multiple outlets covered the story, including NBC News[1], The Independent[2], Mashable[3], and Uproxx[4]. Wikipedia editors also got in on the fun, making joke edits to relevant pages almost immediately after the clip aired[3]. A White House pool report later confirmed the brand was Fiji water[3]. ## How to Use 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 gaffe[1]. 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 history[3]. Rubio's good-natured response, offering Trump form tips rather than expressing anger, was widely praised as the best possible reaction to the situation[2]. The senator seemed genuinely over it after nearly five years of Trump's ribbing[3]. ## Fun Facts - The water was Fiji brand, confirmed by a White House pool report[3]. - 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 awkward[1]. - 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 stage[2]. - 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 Twitter[4]. - After his lengthy Asia trip remarks, Trump did not respond to shouted press questions about whether Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore should quit his race[1]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Donald Trump's Water Break? It's a viral moment from November 15, 2017, when President Trump awkwardly stopped a White House press conference to drink from a bottle of Fiji water, drawing comparisons to Marco Rubio's 2013 water break that Trump had spent years mocking[1]. ### Where did Donald Trump's Water Break come from? It originated during a live press conference at the White House Diplomatic Reception Room, where Trump was recapping his 11-day Asia trip. He couldn't find water at his podium and had to grab a bottle from a nearby table[2]. ### What does Donald Trump's Water Break mean? The meme is primarily about irony and hypocrisy. Trump had relentlessly mocked Rubio for years over the same behavior, calling him a "total choke artist," only to do the exact same thing on camera[2]. ### How do you use Donald Trump's Water Break? People typically share the clip alongside Trump's old Rubio mockery footage or tweets, using it as an example of political hypocrisy. It's referenced whenever someone gets caught doing the thing they criticized[3]. ### Is Donald Trump's Water Break still popular? The meme was primarily a one-day viral sensation in November 2017. It's no longer actively shared but gets referenced whenever political hypocrisy is the topic[4]. ### How did Marco Rubio respond to Trump's water break? Rubio tweeted a joking critique of Trump's form, writing that it "has to be done in one single motion & eyes should never leave the camera. But not bad for his 1st time." The tweet earned over 21,000 retweets and 81,000 likes in 24 hours[4]. ### What brand of water did Trump drink? A White House pool report confirmed it was Fiji water[3]. ### What did Trump previously say about Rubio's water break? Trump tweeted that Rubio should have used a glass instead of a bottle. At a 2016 rally, he physically mocked Rubio on stage, pretending to stagger and beg for water, then splashed water around while yelling "It's Rubio!"[1]. ### Who made the shrinking Trump video? Instagram user @AdamTheCreator created a special effects video on November 15, 2017, showing Trump shrinking as he sipped water, with a fake chyron reading "Trump Dazzles with New Trick." It got over 120,000 views in 24 hours[4]. ### When was Rubio's original water break? Rubio's water break happened in February 2013 during his Republican response to President Obama's State of the Union address. He lunged for a water bottle on live TV while trying to maintain eye contact with the camera[2]. ## References 1. [Trump has awkward water bottle moment on TV]() 2. [Donald Trump suffers his own awkward water bottle moment - after years of mocking 'choke artist' Marco Rubio | The Independent | The Independent]() 3. [Donald Trump suffers his own awkward water bottle moment - after years of mocking 'choke artist' Marco Rubio | The Independent | The Independent]() 4. [Donald Trump's Water Break - Know Your Meme]() 5. [Second presidency of Donald Trump]() 6. [UPROXX – Music Television and Culture]() 7. [After mocking Marco Rubio about drinking water, Trump does same thing | Mashable]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/donald-trumps-water-break Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library