Donald Trump's 'Weird' Gesture Mocked by Critics as He Mimics James Talarico Eating Meat at Texas Rally: Watch

President Donald Trump has been trending on social media for a gesture he made during a rally in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Tuesday, October 27, where he mocked Texas U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico.

Trump claimed Talarico secretly hates eating meat when he mimicked what he thought the Democratic politician would do at a barbecue, repeatedly pumping his fist as the crowd laughed.

Talarico is a state representative and a former educator from Austin. When Trump addressed Talarico’s absence from campaigning in early October, he began targeting the Democrat’s eating habits. “He disappeared for 12 to 14 days. It’s actually probably 14 if you really look at it, missing in action,” Trump said. “Now, I happen to think he was food poisoned by meat because he can’t stand it,” he added.

“You ever see him go to a barbecue and he’s trying to show, ‘I love the meat, ah, I love it, look, look,’ and then you see him, where is he? He’s behind the tent, puking,” Trump continued. As he said “look,” Trump made the gesture, which appeared in clips on social media.

Some X users responded to the rally by posting video of the gesture. “Ooof that’s uhhh,” one user wrote while posting the video, and another post described it as a “weird gesture.”

The impression was part of a larger attack on Talarico from Trump, who referred to Talarico as “Tala-Freak-O” during the rally

“Talarico wants to get rid of the guns. He wants to get rid of the oil. He wants to get rid of the meat,” Trump said. He also paused his speech to play a video compilation of Talarico talking about transgender people.

Trump claims Talarico is a vegan who only eats meat on the campaign trail, but he has provided no supporting evidence for this claim. While discussing Talarico’s diet, Trump mentioned first lady Melania Trump.

“My wife said it’s not vagan, it’s vegan. I don’t know, because it’s never been my thing. I really do like the meat,” the POTUS said. He continued to attack the Democrat’s dietary habits later in his speech. “Well, he’s been a vegan, and there’s not a d--- thing he can do about it,” he said.

James returned to the campaign trail in mid-October, saying he was absent because of a severe case of the flu. President Trump also suggested without evidence that Talarico might have a mental illness. “He’s going around to so many barbecues, it’s probably why, either that or he has a mental illness,” he said.

Talarico is running against Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the midterms, and Democrats are trying to win their first statewide race in Texas in more than 30 years. On Tuesday, Trump held two consecutive rallies in Corpus Christi and Lubbock, his third visit to Texas in October. Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined Trump at the Port of Corpus Christi, where Trump highlighted a newly arrived tanker that had brought Venezuelan crude oil to Texas refineries.

Talarico was also scheduled to hold a campaign event just a few miles away from Trump’s evening rally at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center. The day before the Corpus Christi rally, former Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Tom Phillips, a longtime Republican, endorsed Talarico. The midterm elections are set for Tuesday, November 3.