First Lady Melania Trump is hitting her stride the second time around. Except, in this case, her actions are even more meme-able for those who aren’t too keen on the Trumps in the White House so, you know, there’s that. And after she gave a rousing “hooyah” chant as a crowd of Navy soldiers with Donald Trump present, clips of Melania’s chant at the podium have gone viral.
Like I said, meme-able. Melania’s goal was likely to inspire and encourage the soldiers, since the event was, per The Independent, an important Navy celebration.
But, as most clips of Melania that go viral, the one of her “hooyah” chant has people focused more on the cringiness of it all rather than the actual event. Such is the way of the internet.
@nbcnews At the U.S. Navy's 250th anniversary celebration in Norfolk, Virginia, first lady #MelaniaTrump ♬ original sound – nbcnews
The sound of Melania Trump’s “hooyah” chant will be stuck in your head all day.
On Oct. 5, 2025, Trump and Melania attended the Navy 250 Celebration in Virginia. Melania took to the stage to share a battle cry with the soldiers, though she herself has never seen combat, just so we’re all aware here.
“Hooyah, Navy,” Melania said at the microphone. She then repeated that a few times, with the soldiers shouting it back at her, before she continued.
“It is an honor to be with you to celebrate the 250th year since the United States Navy was officially established. Generations of sailors have kept America free because of their presence on the high seas.”
Hey, giving accolades to soldiers is all well and good, and no one is faulting Melania for that. What they are faulting her for, however, is the way she so willingly began chanting “hooyah, Navy” with such conviction. By the way, is this the first time we’ve seen the First Lady speak this much without mentioning herself in some way?
When the clip was shared on TikTok, one user commented, “Least enthusiastic hooyah ever spoken.”
Another wrote, “She actually said ‘Hawk Tuah,’ but with her accent it came out as “Hooyah.”
@oh.my.bri She’s unintentionally one of the funniest ppl on the planet rn #melaniatrump #leftist #jokes #fyp #hooyahnavy ♬ original sound – nbcnews
Others called out Melania for her thick accent and poor English amid backlash for singer Bad Bunny being chosen as the Super Bowl halftime performer and with ongoing ICE raids around the country.
Elsewhere on another clip of the event that was shared on TikTok, someone commented that Melania’s chant to the Navy was “very insulting.”
According to Military.com, the Navy never really had their own call until recently. In 2023, they reportedly managed to make “hooyah” their thing, so maybe it isn’t offensive for someone outside of the Navy to chant it in celebration. And, it could be a case by case basis as far as soldiers being offended by someone, even Melania, saying it to them.
But that doesn’t make her “hooyah” chant any less uncomfortable, even for those who watched the clips online.
