President Donald Trump led a group of new Marines in an ‘oorah’ chant on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ Tuesday morning in honor of Veterans Day.
The chant was performed multiple times throughout the show, including as a means of introducing President Trump to the show. Soon after, though, host Pat McAfee asked Trump whether or not he had ever led a group of Marines in an ‘oorah’ chant. McAfee then asked Trump to do so.
McAfee said, ‘Mr. President, why don’t you drop one? Mr. President why don’t you drop an ‘oorah’ real quick?’
Trump obliged.
The first ‘oorah’ got a big response out of the troops, McAfee, and McAfee’s crew. McAfee asked Trump to perform two more throughout the show: once in the middle of their interview and once more to end the show altogether.
What is the ‘oorah’ chant?
‘Oorah’ has long been a battle cry for the United States Marine Corps. It’s more than just a word or sound, it’s a mantra, one that represents strength, determination, and bravery. It is used commonly within the corps, as a greeting, as motivation during drills and training, even as a call and response.
While the official origins of the chant are unclear, the chant gained popularity thanks to Sgt. Maj. John Massaro in the 1950s. Reports say Massaro used the phrase liberally as a member of the 1st Marine Division Reconnaissance Company. By the 1990s, it had become ingrained in Marines culture.
What else happened on the show?
The president and McAfee discussed a few topics during the show, but the most notable was when Trump was asked which current NFL coach he believed would make a good president. Trump took the opportunity to praise Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni.
Trump went on to say that some of the strategy of being an NFL coach could translate to the White House.
‘Ultimately it is all about strategy,’ Trump said. ‘It is about attack, it is about what angle, give me the angle of attack. I’ll bet you some of these coaches would make great warring generals. I tell you, I would not be beneath doing that.
‘You get five or six of those guys, I know some of them. They come to the White House every year with the winning team, the winning Super Bowl team. I’ve gotten to know them through that.’