On Wednesday night, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump both appeared on NBC’s Commander-In-Chief Forum, but were treated quite differently. Not only did this apply to the nominees’ on-camera treatment by Matt Lauer — he grilled Clinton over her emails and repeatedly interrupted her while letting Trump slide on his Iraq war lie — but also the at-home treatment. That is to say, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus narrated the event on Twitter. He praised Trump for his “vigilance and toughness,” but when he discussed Clinton, these same perceived strengths transformed into negative traits.
This incongruous treatment already functions an on-its-face example of sexism, which Clinton has been dealing with for four decades of political life. But then Priebus literally made it all about her face (because of course he did). He tweeted that she looked “angry + defensive the entire time – no smile and uncomfortable.” Amazing.
To hear Priebus tell it, Clinton should have worn an earth-shattering smile and happily cooed while discussing terrorism. Naturally, Twitter grew a little furious (just like Hillary!) in response to his tweet, which we’ll discuss in a moment. But first, Clinton herself came back with a fitting reply about how her facial expression was exactly what a “serious” president should look like:
Actually, that’s just what taking the office of President seriously looks like. https://t.co/Pyn92mesom
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 8, 2016
From there, Twitter responded with everything from disgust to amusement. Paul Begala is correct — Priebus was this close to asking Clinton to twirl for him.
Shorter Reince, "Smile, sweetie." Next he's gonna ask her to twirl for him. https://t.co/w8zGTh7l7x
— Paul Begala (@PaulBegala) September 8, 2016
https://twitter.com/ChloeAlbanesius/status/773697372962553856
Smile, babe. You're so pretty when you smile. You are a Presidential candidate but what matters is your face. https://t.co/l6GBwaOqbS
— Ken Tremendous (@KenTremendous) September 8, 2016
https://twitter.com/erinruberry/status/773695964532080640
https://twitter.com/morninggloria/status/773696271131574273
https://twitter.com/monkeypox0104/status/773723146151038976
https://twitter.com/jbouie/status/773700205287968768
Some folks wanted Priebus to think about the moment when Clinton’s next scheduled smile would appear.
Get used to this #PresidentialFace, @Reince. There's a big ol' smile on it. pic.twitter.com/kRYzchsaeg
— Emmy Bengtson (@EmmyA2) September 8, 2016
You want to see Hillary smile, @reince? Come by the party on election night. #PresidentialFace https://t.co/u6ZLR6Z9M3
— Kate Stayman-London (@_ksl) September 8, 2016
And others (including an involuntary Adele) showed off their own #PresidentialFace.
#presidentialface pic.twitter.com/JDevW8HA6E
— Mintyday@bsky.social (@msdayvt) September 8, 2016
https://twitter.com/toritaylor/status/773724900708212736
Hey @Reince, this is my best #PresidentialFace. Stop telling women to smile. pic.twitter.com/jgoRVTVLWl
— ella dawson (@brosandprose) September 8, 2016
Resting #PresidentialFace @Reince pic.twitter.com/dV59zpQm6r
— Serenity Discko (@serenitydiscko) September 8, 2016
Do you think Priebus was smiling by the end of the evening?
https://twitter.com/saamato/status/773724590627401728
