Getty Images | Paul Ratje, Twitter

Beto O' Rourke Responds After The President Pokes Fun At Beto's Arm Movements

Updated September 3, 2021

As someone with Italian heritage, I noticed a long time ago that when I feel I have something important to say, my hands like to try and do my talking for me.

As much as this fact can amuse me from time to time, it generally doesn't come up mid-conversation, as what I'm talking about apparently carries enough weight that my hand motions seem like a minor detail.

And based on his response to President Trump's comments about his own hand gestures, it seems that Beto O' Rourke is hoping this will also ring true for him.

Yesterday, former Texas congressman Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke officially announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 Presidential Election.

In his Twitter video announcing this, he says that the joint challenges to America's climate, democracy, and economy present an opportunity to "unleash the genius of the United States of America."

When reporters asked President Trump for his reaction to this announcement, he seemed focused on one particular aspect of it.

It didn't concern anything O' Rourke said, but rather how his hands moved as he said it.

As President Trump put it, "I've never seen so much hand movement. I said, 'Is he crazy or is that just the way he acts?"

O'Rourke said he had nothing to say about the president's comments about his hand gestures.

Twitter | @BetoORourke

According to The Hill, he also said, "I think people want us to rise above the pettiness, the smallness — they want us to be big, bold, ambitious for this country" at a campaign stop in Burlington, Iowa.

For some commenters, this came off as a welcome change from the president's famous temperament.

Indeed, there is a strong temptation for candidates to get bogged down in discussions of gaffes and other matters that ultimately have nothing to do with policy.

Other commenters, however, admitted that their own responses didn't quite constitute rising above the pettiness.

One alluded to the hand movements the president used himself in a clip that, as NBC News reported, led to accusations that he was mocking a reporter living with a disability.

However, it would hardly be fair to say that this was all President Trump talked about when discussing his potential opponents.

He expressed confidence that, regardless of whether the Democratic nominee turns out to be O' Rourke, early poll frontrunner Joe Biden, or any other candidate, he could take them on.

His reasoning for this involved the claim that his administration's economic policies would be tough to beat.

Reddit | croco_duck

He went on to say that he has all the records, which supposedly show that his stewardship has had positive effects on the stock market, the valuation of 401K plans, and unemployment.

He also spoke highly of his proposed tax cuts, which he called "the biggest in the history of our country."

Reddit | timmyg2017

However, he didn't happen to mention who benefits from those tax cuts and who doesn't.

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