President Donald Trump spoke at a memorial for September 11 victims in Shanksville, Pennsylvania on Tuesday and paused awkwardly waiting for applause that didn't come during his apparent attempt to invoke a culture war.
Trump flew to a memorial in the field where the wreckage of Flight 93 crash landed to give a speech.
During that speech he inserted a reference to "radical Islamic terrorism," a phrase that is offensive to billions of non-violent Muslims but which some conservatives are obsessed with.
Trump told the story of Flight 93 and said that these heroes were symbolic of American defiance.
"This line is a message to the world that America will never, ever submit to tyranny," Trump said to the loudest applause of the day.
A minute later, Trump pivoted back to the point and said 9/11 was the start of a battle we're still fighting.
"Nearly 7,000 American service members have died facing down the menace of radical Islamic terrorism," Trump said, pausing awkwardly for applause that never came.
Among the light smattering of applause was one loud clapper that appeared to have only been audible because it was captured by a microphone.
On Twitter, Trump's supporters delighted in his politicization of the memorial event while others denounced him.
Watch the segment of the speech below.
