'Our national embarrassment': Donald Trump dragged after stumbling over US national anthem

Donald Trump has been criticised on social media after he appeared to struggle to recall the words to the US national anthem.

For months, Trump has attacked members of the NFL for kneeling during the national anthem, accusing them of being "disrespectful", but the president's apparent botched attempt to sing it himself has attracted criticism.

On Monday night (8 January), Trump was attendance at a college football championship game between Alabama and Georgia.

Flank by members of the military, Trump, with his right hand over his heart, appeared to mumble his way through the anthem, at times clearly mouthing other words that weren't in the Star Spangled Banner.

Previous surveys have found that many American's don't know the full lyrics to the US anthem, but for the US president, a man who has attacked footballers for their actions during the anthem, his inability to sing the lyrics proved unpopular online.

On Twitter, June Yoon said: "Our national embarrassment doesn't know our national anthem."

Cynthia Boaz said: "And also why the hell is he squirming around and repeatedly patting his own chest like that? He cannot stand still in calm reverence for even three seconds."

And Frederico Mennella said: "Either he does not know the words (never bothered to learn them) or he has forgotten them (a sign of weakened mental ability). Which one is more likely?"

Mocking Trump's recent claim that he is a "stable genius", Jose Sanchez said: "Stable Genius Donald Trump forgot the lyrics to the national anthem."

Aravosis said: "This is priceless, as only 3 hours after he tweeted this Trump tried to sing the National Anthem and forgot the words."

Trump had been speaking just hours before at the Farming Bureau and tweeted: "We are fighting for our farmers, for our country, and for our GREAT AMERICAN FLAG. We want our flag respected - and we want our NATIONAL ANTHEM respected also!"