Trump Dance Backfires: Daron Payne Punches Amon-Ra St. Brown in NFL Chaos! (Video)

Sunday night in Detroit was heating up on the field as the Lions faced off against the Washington Commanders. Final score? Lions 44–22. But the real highlight wasn’t the scoreboard—it was what happened right in the middle of the field.

The viral moment? Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown celebrating a touchdown by mimicking President Trump’s infamous dance. Little did he know, the Commander’s defensive leader Daron Payne was far less amused. The twist? The president wasn’t even in the box at the time.

St. Brown later said, “I heard Trump was going to be [here],” St Brown said, as per The Guardian. “I don’t know how many times the president’s going to be at the game, so just decided to have some fun.” What was meant as light-hearted fun quickly escalated when Payne threw a punch at St. Brown, witnessed by the referee, resulting in his ejection from the game.

Amon-Ra St. Brown pointing at Donald Trump and doing his dance after a TD and then getting punched by a Commanders player moments later is objectively hilarious pic.twitter.com/O7weh1prnR
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) November 9, 2025

Daron Payne just randomly punching Amon Ra St Brown is sending me 😭 pic.twitter.com/Yr3OsTeIcF
— NFL Memes (@NFLHateMemes) November 9, 2025

Fans on social media were shocked. One person wrote, “As a leader of Washington’s defense, Daron Payne should know better than to throw a punch on the field. He should be suspended. There is no place for this in sports.” Another chimed in, “Footage of the Daron Payne incident. Yeahhhh you can’t do that. That was stupid, especially from a veteran. The frustration of these players is boiling over.”

Meanwhile, Commanders’ D-lineman Javon Kinlaw defended Payne, calling his ejection “some bullsh*t.” Kinlaw said, “Daron only retaliated because the refs literally saw the first punch,” adding, “I don’t blame him for the way he reacted. Tempers got to flying, it is what it is, it’s a physical game.”

In short? On-field drama, a “fashionably late” presidential appearance, and St. Brown’s Trump dance all combined to make a memorable Sunday night NFL moment. Payne’s punch may have been wrong, but it happened in a game where even the president was in the box—though not for the entire game.

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