Kentucky valedictorian reads Trump quote to cheers, then reveals it was really from Obama

A Kentucky high school valedictorian pulled a 180 on his classmates during his graduation speech this weekend, garnering loud cheers when he attributed an inspirational quote to President Trump — before revealing it was actually said by former President Obama.

“This is the part of my speech where I share some inspirational quotes I found on Google,” Bell County High School valedictorian Ben Bowling said in his speech 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.”

The audience burst into applause, before Bowling revealed who really said it: “Just kidding. That was Barack Obama.”

This valedictorian read a Trump quote during his graduation speech and the crowd erupted with applause. Then he interrupted their cheers.
"I'm kidding. That was Barack Obama." https://t.co/E0Q5VNNf94 pic.twitter.com/ASsxAcGOWF

— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 4, 2018

Crowd cheers when Kentucky HS valedictorian Ben Bowling quotes Trump, then groans when he reveals the inspirational quote was actually from Barack Obama pic.twitter.com/7GL14IIb1S

— ManSitChoAzzDown (@AngryManTV) June 4, 2018

But the joke’s deflating effect was not lost on Bowling, who continued to read his speech. 

{mosads}“The crowd erupted in applause and before they could even finish clapping I said I was kidding and the applause quickly died,” Bowling later told The Louisville Courier-Journal. “I just thought it was a really good quote. 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.”

Trump easily won Kentucky in the 2016 presidential election with 62 percent of the vote. In Bell County, Trump won almost 80 percent of the vote, according to the Courier-Journal.

According to the newspaper, Bowling graduated with a 4.216 grade point average and plans to pursue a degree in medicine at the University of Kentucky.