Donald Trump is a meme maker’s dream.
Every time he opens his fast-food hole, something daft comes out, and he doesn’t fare much better in photographs, either.
A quick meme recap of what we have covered before we dive into the ‘highlights reel’ – there was that White House painting, Trump in a truck, and we cannot forget the ‘toilet paper stuck to the shoe’ fiasco.
We also know that Donald loves a dumb meme himself, because he can’t help but retweet them when he wants to drum up support from his base.
To those Americans with their heads screwed on straight, the past two years have felt like an eternity, but maybe the memes have helped them through it all.
VICE decided to cover the 20 biggest memes of the Trump error era so far, with this by way of intro:
Since Donald Trump descended that escalator into the middle of America’s political arena, memes have provided a way to cope with an emotionally turbulent time, denigrate one’s ideological foes, and make occasionally resonant points. Viral moments can be fleeting, but they can also reinforce or upend someone’s views. They’re jokes, but usually serve to underscore something that Americans take seriously. The future history books recounting all of this could consist of only memes and not miss a beat.
So what memes would make those history books? We tried to boil it down to a top 20. These are some of the most viral in terms of likes and retweets, but we’re also making allowances for the significance of the moments the memes are spoofing, how well they encapsulate Trump’s presidency, and, of course, their pure comedic value. These are the ones you’ll remember, even if you don’t want to.
We won’t cover all 20, but let’s look at a few that have stood out:
Trump’s Executive Orders
Kicking off a presidency by signing a bunch of executive orders is typical. Panning each document in front of the camera, however, is pure Trumpian flair. This cemented the fact that a narcissist now ran the country and inspired a meme that would come back time and time again. It shows Trump as a buffoon in search of praise, the purest expression of his character—and also reminds us that this guy does have the power to do an awful lot.
And the memes:
kat pic.twitter.com/ra55wo0ulW
— Trump Draws (@TrumpDraws) January 31, 2017
— Adam Epstein (@eppyad) January 30, 2017
The orb-touching trio—Trump, Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi—looked more like a group of Disney villains than world leaders. The image recalled enough pop culture references to make this a meme that had something for everyone, whether you’re into Macbeth, Star Wars, Looney Toons, or Harry Potter. And on a more serious level, it symbolized the Trump administration’s absolute loyalty to the Saudi royal family, which has become more sinister in the months since.
Trump Staring into the Eclipse
Everyone knew not to look at the eclipse without the proper eyewear. People practically shouted it from the rooftops. But Trump did it anyway, of course. It was a moment that captured so much about him as a candidate and president—if he really wants to do something, he’ll do it, even, or especially, if it’s obviously a bad idea.
Covfefe
Trump is awful with words, but he reached a new level of nonsense when he tweeted “covfefe,” a non-word with no explanation. It was spoofed by celebrities, Merriam-Webster, roadside diner signs advertising “hot covfefe,” and what felt like every person online. Meaningless? Sure. Bleak? Yeah, OK. An encapsulation of what life is like today? Definitely.
This is why I love Twitter. #covfefe pic.twitter.com/TwIfMKTcbK
— Mark Powlett (@Markonair) May 31, 2017
To finish, what may well be my favourite of the lot…
The Lawn-Mowing Boy
When 11-year-old Frank Giacco fulfilled his dream by mowing the White House lawn, he changed the meme landscape surrounding the POTUS forever. The now-iconic photo that resulted had it all: bright colors that made it unmissable on social media feeds, a simple composition perfect for spoofing, and Trump yelling while looking anything but presidential.
Two more years, unless Robert Mueller delivers the goods.
Oh, and to the pair of you who keep on dropping pro-Trump comments below our stories, enjoy screaming into the void.
[source:vice]
