BELL COUNTY, KY (RNN) - A valedictorian got cheers on Saturday for quoting President Donald Trump in his graduation speech, but then quickly revealed the quote really came from the previous president.
That twist, and the crowd's reaction, has people talking.
Valedictorian Ben Bowling at Bell County High School provided this quote: "'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 Louisville Courier-News reported.
The crowd cheered.
He responded, "Just kidding. That was from Barack Obama."
The crowd quickly quieted, with some responding with laughter, Bowling said.
He said he didn't mean it as a "gotcha" moment.
"I just thought it was a really good quote," Bowling 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."
Bell County, KY, is in southeastern Kentucky, near the border with Tennessee, sharing Cumberland Gap National Historical Park with Tennessee and Virginia.
The county overwhelming voted for Trump in 2016 with nearly 80 percent of the vote, according to the U.S. Election Atlas. They last voted for a Democrat in a presidential election in 1996, reelecting Bill Clinton.
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