WATCH: Marco Rubio’s Water Break During State of the Union Rebuttal

Marco Rubio takes a sip of water, and the Internet is there.

  • Share
  • Read Later

TIME Magazine cover subject Marco Rubio delivered the GOP’s response to President Obama’s State of the Union address last night. But while it was a big moment for the 41-year-old Florida Senator, and a chance for the Republican Party to counter Obama’s wide-ranging speech, the most memorable moment of Rubio’s night was when he nervously leaned over to grab a bottle of water and take a big gulp.

Twitter, predictably, exploded:

[tweet https://twitter.com/HowardKurtz/status/301541985687314434%5D

[tweet https://twitter.com/PaulBegala/status/301536810083966976]

[tweet https://twitter.com/christerickson/status/301692919780364289]

Several parody accounts sprang up almost instantly — for Rubio’s water bottle and for its maker, Poland Spring. The Senator was happy to join in the joke, posting a picture of his near-empty bottle of water after the speech on his Twitter account.

(PHOTOS: Marco Rubio, Republican Savior)

This isn’t the first time the thirsty Senator has had water issues during a speech. Taking the stage after that memorable Clint Eastwood performance at the Republican National Convention last August, Rubio — having taken a sip from a bottle on the podium — joked, “I think I just drank Clint Eastwood’s water.”

For those wanting a #gulpgate-free analysis of the official GOP rebuttal to the State of the Union speech, you can read TIME’s Michael Grunwald here.

MORE: State of the Union: Obama Calls for Economic Growth, Action on Gun Violence