US grad quotes Trump, oops! Obama in speech

CHICAGO (AFP) – A high school student giving a graduation speech in the state of Kentucky offered a lesson in politics over the weekend with a well-timed bait-and-switch.

Ben Bowling, class valedictorian of Bell County High School in Pineville -- a tiny outpost in Kentucky's coal country mentioned an inspirational quote during graduation ceremonies Saturday.

"'Don't just get involved. Fight for your seat at the table. Better yet, fight for a seat at the head of the table' - Donald J. Trump," Bowling declared.

But just as the audience began to loudly cheer in this deeply Republican corner of America, Bowling held up his hand.

"Just kidding, just kidding, that was Barack Obama," the 18-year-old said.

The cheering quickly faded. There was a sprinkling of chuckles and a lone halfhearted boo.

The online clip of the fleeting moment captured the US media's attention Monday, seen as emblematic of a political climate in which both sides think the other can do no right.

"I just thought it was a really good quote," he told the newspaper. "Most people wouldn't like it if I used it, so I thought I'd use Donald Trump's name. It is southeastern Kentucky after all," Bowling told The Courier-Journal.

Obama delivered the quote Bowling cited during a 2012 commencement speech at Barnard College in New York.