TRUMP’S CLAPPING DRAWS DERISION

Donald Trump’s repeated clapping throughout his State of the Union address drew reactions ranging from amusement to derision on social media.

His applause was audible over and over again as cameras cut away from him and showed lawmakers and others offering varied levels of approval for his remarks.

Twitter users posted videos of Trump clapping for himself, with some noting that it became an annoying distraction. Others chimed in to question why Trump would keep clapping for himself.

In the House chamber itself in Washington, majority Republicans led multiple rounds of enthusiastic applause during the speech.

Democrats, meanwhile, provided a short spurt of polite applause for Trump as he entered the chamber, but offered muted reactions during the speech.

combined trade surplus in goods and services of $30 billion, will have heard loudly his tough talk calling for it to be “fair” and “reciprocal”.

However, New Delhi will feel reassured by his unflagging commitment to both act and talk tough on terror. “We must be clear: Terrorists are not merely criminals. They are unlawful enemy combatants,” Trump said.

He also reiterated the shift in US policy on Afghanistan that he first laid out in his South Asia Strategy in August. The US has “new rules of engagement”, he said, and it will not be “undermined by artificial timelines”. That will be good news for India, which has been worried about the US leaving behind a chaotic Afghanistan vulnerable to meddling by Pakistan.