Commentator hits Trump with '6, 7' meme in awkward exchange during NFL game

Chatting to one of the most powerful leaders in the Western world isn’t always easy, but one NFL commentator appeared to make things more awkward than ever by trying to force a ‘6, 7’ meme on Donald Trump.

The situation first unfolded on Sunday night (November 9), when NFL analyst Jonathan Vilma was speaking to Trump during the Washington Commanders and Detroit Lions game.

During their brief chat from the commentating box, Vilma made reference to the viral 'six, seven' meme that has taken Gen Alpha by storm, as he grilled the president on his brief football career at the New York military academy.

“We were trying to look up your stats and we wanted to know,” Vilma said. “How many touchdowns did you have back then? Six, seven?”

Seemingly oblivious to the reference, Trump laughed before admitting he hadn’t actually scored any.

However, Vilma didn’t stop there, as he tried to work a second reference into the conversation by suggesting that the POTUS could have become a formidable tight end with yet another ‘six, seven’ reference.

“But, see, that’s how you could’ve played tight end, right?” Vilma added. “You definitely would’ve had like six, seven touchdowns there.”

Fans tuning at home were less than impressed with the exchange, with many hitting Vilma with rafts of criticism for not behaving more professionally with a sitting US president.

“Jonathan Vilma gets the opportunity to have the president of the United States in the booth with him and what does he do with that opportunity? Makes constant 6-7 jokes,” one user wrote on X.

Another said: “Jonathan Vilma trying to make a '6-7' joke TWICE during an interview with the president was the cringiest thing ever.”

A different viewer posted: “Jonathan Vilma 6-7ing the president on an NFL Broadcast not once but twice omg that was terrible.”

However, others found the moment hilarious, with one person commenting: “Say what you want about him but that’s our President and he’s cool as hell.”

Someone else joked: “Jonathan Vilma a man of the people.”

While Trump himself may not have picked up on the ‘six, seven’ reference, he isn’t completely unaware of the meme, having seemingly alluded to it himself last week.

While speaking from Air Force One about the Russia and Ukraine conflict, Trump said: “I don't like to see six, seven, eight thousand young people, mostly young people, for the most part soldiers, be killed.”

He added: “We're gonna work together to try and get the war with Russia and Ukraine solved.”

But, of course, this being the internet some people were quick to presume that Trump had said the words 'six seven' while talking about the thousands of people being killed in a war as an allusion to the bizarre meme which includes those two numbers.

What does 'six, seven' actually mean?

The viral meme that has taken classrooms by storm has no real meaning.

The nonsensical term appeared to originate from the hip-hop artist Skrilla in the track 'Doot Doot', released in December 2024, where he says: “6-7, I just bipped right on the highway (bip, bip).”

After mystifying adults for months, it has slowly worked its way into mainstream pop culture, with multiple content creators making reference to the term.