Donald Trump Branded 'Disgusting' as Recent Video Footage Shows Him Apparently Spitting on Rally Stage

US President Donald Trump was branded 'disgusting' by X users after footage shared by Orla Joelsen appeared to show him spitting onstage at a rally in Greenville, North Carolina, on 20 October.

The US president was continuing a string of campaign rallies ahead of next month's midterm elections. While speaking at the Greenville event, he turned his head to one side in a movement that became the focus of criticism online.

Those responding to the clip disagreed about how to interpret it. Some condemned Trump's conduct, while others suggested he might have had something in his mouth or might not have realised what he was doing.

Donald Trump Clip Prompts Questions

Joelsen drew attention to the moment with a post on X that questioned the president's behaviour. 'What on earth is going on here?' the post read, followed by 'Why is President Trump spitting on the floor during a rally in North Carolina?'

The footage was described as showing Trump apparently spitting towards the floor as he spoke. Joelsen's question treated that interpretation as established, although the accompanying description was more qualified.

Several replies treated the apparent action as grounds for wider judgements about his character. One commenter wrote, 'Donnie is gross.' Another responded, 'Because he's a disgusting pig.'

Personal Attacks Follow Donald Trump Footage

The reaction included brief expressions of disgust and a demand for Trump to leave the stage. Some users offered no explanation for the gesture, instead directing their criticism at the president.

One reply read, 'He gets more revolting by the day!' Another simply stated, 'Disgusting.' A longer response connected the apparent action to the subject of his remarks.

The user wrote, 'He is spitting while talking about someone that he doesn't like. Remove him! Where are his people? Take him off the stage!'

Another respondent wrote, 'Because he's a disgusting person. What other reason could there be?' These comments reflected individual users' reactions, but no engagement figures were provided to establish the scale of the response.

Defenders Question Donald Trump Backlash

Other commenters disputed whether the moment deserved that degree of attention. Their responses offered a less critical reading of the footage, suggesting the apparent action could have been unintentional or prompted by something in Trump's mouth.

One wrote, 'He clearly just had something in his mouth. Act like you've never done it before.' That suggestion challenged the personal criticism without establishing what had happened. It offered an alternative interpretation of the brief movement, rather than an explanation from Trump or someone speaking on his behalf.

The disagreement concerned both what the clip appeared to depict and how much significance viewers should attach to it. Responses ranged from demands that Trump leave the stage to appeals to treat the moment as unremarkable.

Trump had also faced earlier criticism over his public conduct. The Mirror US reported that he was criticised over an incident in front of the Navy, describing it as an 'embarrassing act'.

Neither the White House press office nor Trump's campaign representatives have issued an official response to the controversy as polling scrutiny intensifies across key battleground states. The incident follows previous media criticism concerning executive conduct during official ceremonies.