- The internet has been exploding with memes about President Donald Trump since he began running for president in 2015. And they haven't let up since he took office in January 2017.
- Whether joking about his clothing, speeches, impeachment trial, the coronavirus, or his personal life, meme creators have done it all.
- We've gathered an ongoing list of some of the best Trump memes throughout the years.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
President Trump has been exciting the internet with memes since he began running for president.
Many of them derive from his own Tweets, which often use brash, creative language — whether it's a sharp insult hurled at an opponent, a bizarre typo, or his out-of-the-box political messaging.
Trump is also likely the most-photographed person in the world, giving the internet plenty of awkward moments to be Photoshopped and shared 'round the internet.
In addition to being the subject of many memes, Trump and his supporters have also used internet memes for their own ends. Before its Reddit ban, the r/The_Donald subreddit was a breeding ground for memes championing him or mocking his political opponents, and many still circulate in pro-Trump Facebook groups.
Here's an ongoing list of some of the most viral memes about Trump.
Some meme accounts have altered President Trump's executive orders to depict hilariously juvenile drawings.
After Trump held an event to show off the slate of executive orders he signed in his first few days in office, his presentation of them became a meme, with people often replacing the orders with crude drawings.
—Trump Draws (@TrumpDraws) November 13, 2019 —Trump Draws (@TrumpDraws) January 31, 2017—Trump Draws (@TrumpDraws) November 20, 2019The Space Force has been the topic of memes since the president first announced plans to create this sixth branch of the military.
When Trump first announced plans to create Space Force, the internet mocked the military branch for sounding a bit too much like science fiction. People began making memes of Space Force in relation to Star Wars and Star Trek.
In January 2020, when the President unveiled the official logo, it got even worse.
—Marilyn (@GlammaHunny) August 11, 2018—💰TRILLIONAIRE💰 (@maltyhops) March 13, 2018—Ben Warwick (@BenCBS4) January 24, 2020The internet was quick to hold the president accountable when he mistakenly thought the Kansas City Chiefs were from Kansas rather than Missouri.
After the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl, Trump mistakenly congratulated "The great state of Kansas."
The Chiefs actually hail from Missouri. The internet quickly noticed and many created memes about the President's error.
—Trump Draws (@TrumpDraws) February 3, 2020—ElElegante101 (@skolanach) February 3, 2020When Trump was seen touching a glowing orb in Saudi Arabia, the memes came pouring in.
When President Trump, King Salman of Saudi Arabia, and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt were photographed in a dark room with their hands on a glowing orb during a Saudi Arabia visit, the internet took notice.
The odd moment became one of the most enduring images of the Trump era. Many compared the glowing orb to sci-fi or fantasy stories and mocked the bizarre scene.
—Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) May 21, 2017—Shahak Shapira (@ShahakShapira) May 22, 2017—The Church Of Satan (@ChurchofSatan) May 22, 2017The president was photographed looking directly at the eclipse.
If there's one thing we've all been taught about the solar eclipse, it's that you can't look directly at the phenomenon with the naked eye.
But in 2017, Donald Trump was photographed doing just that. The president was caught looking toward the sky without wearing protective glasses, and the internet quickly made memes out of the moment.
—Patrick Tucker (@DefTechPat) August 21, 2017—leon (@leyawn) August 21, 2017—DAN (@danWorthington) August 21, 2017When Trump was spotted with an unflattering tan-line, people were quick to mock the president.
In early February 2020, a Twitter account posted a photo of the president walking across the White House Lawn with a serious facial tan-line.
The internet was quick to jump on this photo and create memes about the president's appearance.
—Anthony Atamanuik (@TonyAtamanuik) February 8, 2020—Chase Mitchell (@ChaseMit) February 8, 2020President Trump invited a young boy named Joshua Trump — not related to him — to his 2019 State of the Union address. When the boy fell asleep, he became a meme sensation.
During President Trump's 2019 State of the Union address, a young boy named Joshua Trump was photographed snoozing through the president's speech. The boy was invited to the SOTU after being bullied for his last name. When he was caught sleeping through the president's words, he became an instant meme.
—Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) February 6, 2019—Simon Jessey (@scjessey) February 6, 2019Trump was photographed with his statement denying a "quid pro quo" during his impeachment scandal, and the sharpie-filled notebook was quickly turned into a meme.
When President Trump's handwritten note concerning a quid pro quo with Ukraine was photographed, the internet quickly mocked the president for writing "I want nothing. I want nothing. I want no quid pro quo," in giant sharpie.
—Ben Hartman (@Benhartman) November 20, 2019—Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) November 20, 2019Trump's clothing has been the subject of many memes. An account that photoshops his abnormally long ties is a favorite.
President Trump has long been mocked for clothing choices and mishaps, but one twitter account took parodies to the extreme by Photoshopping the president with absurdly long ties.
—Trump's Ties (@TrumpsTies) February 1, 2020—Trump's Ties (@TrumpsTies) February 5, 2020When Trump tweeted "despite all the negative press covfefe" and the internet exploded with different meme interpretations of what the word "covfefe" could possibly mean.
Late at night in 2017, Trump tweeted the word "covfefe" in what was seen as an erratic and incomplete thought, and the internet quickly turned to make sense of it through memes.
—Blake Rodgers (@TheBlakeRodgers) May 31, 2017—#DREADpirate Twitchy Owl ♿️🌙⚡️ (@TheLastMerlin) May 31, 2017—Jacob Oller @ C2E2 (@JacobOller) May 31, 2017—Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) May 31, 2017Nancy Pelosi became an instant meme when she sarcastically clapped back at the president during his 2019 State of the Union address.
During the 2019 State of the Union address, Nancy Pelosi was caught clapping sarcastically at Trump after he called for an end to "the politics of revenge," and turned to look directly at the Democratic House Speaker.
—Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) February 6, 2019—Patti LaBelle’s Background Singer (@spicykezzinnugg) February 6, 2019And it happened again in 2020, when Pelosi ripped up the president's speech as soon as he was finished with his third SOTU address.
Pelosi has a knack for stealing the show from Trump's theatrical moments. In 2020, the House Speaker ripped up her copy of the president's State of the Union address, claiming it was a "manifesto of mistruths." The internet quickly turned the scene into a meme.
—CK (@charley_ck14) February 5, 2020During his impeachment trial, the president became the subject of multiple memes.
From the moment that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced her impeachment inquiry, to the final vote in the Senate, Trump had been the subject of many impeachment memes.
In 2019, the internet mocked Trump's visit to the UK, highlighting his ill-fitting suit and rocky relationship with the Queen.
Trump has been known to commit some royal faux-pas, such as greeting the Queen incorrectly, walking in front of her, and even turning his back to her.
So, in 2016, when the president went for a royal visit, the internet was quick to turn Trump's seemingly ill-fitted suit and the Queen's reaction toward him into various memes.
—Saint Hoax (@SaintHoax) June 3, 2019On his HBO show "Last Week Tonight," host John Oliver reported that the president's family changed their last name from "Drumpf" to "Trump" when they emigrated to the US. The internet loves imagining a world of Donald Drumpfs.
President Trump's immigration policies have long received backlash from his opposers, so when John Oliver pointed out the Trump family history of emigrating to the US — including when they changed their name from "Drumpf" to "Trump" — it quickly became a meme.
—❄️😎❄️ Uncle John (@azmoderate) February 29, 2016—Last Week Tonight (@LastWeekTonight) February 29, 2016This hilarious image depicting Trump screaming at a young boy mowing the White House lawn became an instant meme.
In 2017, President Trump invited an 11-year old named Frank Giacco to mow the White House Lawn after the boy reached out in a letter and offered his landscaping services for free.
But the situation quickly became a meme when photos showed the president screaming to get the boy's attention.
—Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) September 5, 2018—rachel axler (@rachelaxler) September 15, 2017President Trump once told the Australian Prime Minister that Australian refugees were "not going to be wonderful people who go on to work for the local milk people." So, naturally, the internet made memes of "local milk people."
The transcript of a conversation between President Trump and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was released in 2017, showing the two leaders discussing a refugee resettlement deal made by the Obama Administration. Trump told Turnbull that he didn't want to take refugees from Australia.
"I hate taking these people. I guarantee you they are bad," he said. "That is why they are in prison right now. They are not going to be wonderful people who go on to work for the local milk people."
Baffled by his statement, the internet began making memes inspired by "the local milk people."
—Jillian Sederholm (@JillianSed) August 3, 2017—Erin praying 4 u Ryan (@morninggloria) August 3, 2017When Trump was added to the Disney Hall of President's, some people were horrified by his strange appearance.
In 2017, Trump was inducted into the Disney World Hall of Presidents, but his strange robotic appearance quickly sparked a variety of memes.
—Matt Binder (@MattBinder) December 18, 2017—chris melberger (@chrismelberger) December 19, 2017When Trump threw paper towels at hurricane victims in Puerto Rico the internet was quick to criticize him through memes.
Trump was scrutinized in 2017 for his lack of effort to help victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. One of these moments was caught on tape and turned into a meme when Trump was seen throwing paper towels at people and telling the crowd to "have fun."
—Cher (@cher) October 4, 2017—Full Frontal (@FullFrontalSamB) October 3, 2017Tiny Trumps have become a classic meme during the Trump Administration. An entire subreddit has been devoted to creating miniature images of the president.
Trump has long been known for his love of the word "big" or "big-league" to promote his political agenda, so naturally, the internet has created memes of the president as a tiny figure.
—Gigohead (@gigohead) February 18, 2017—Captain Marlow (@Marlowinc) February 18, 2017President Trump had a lot of fun when he welcomed truck industry leaders to the White House and posed inside the massive vehicles. The internet had fun, too.
Trump invited trucking industry representatives to the White House in order to discuss health care proposals and infrastructure, but before things got serious, he climbed into a semi-truck and pretended to drive.
Photos of him enjoying the trucks went viral on the internet, and the memes quickly followed.
—edgarwright (@edgarwright) March 23, 2017—Joseph Scrimshaw (@JosephScrimshaw) March 23, 2017—Tom Ganjamie (@tomgam) March 23, 2017A slew of new memes have emerged from Trump's coronavirus response, like when he discussed injecting disinfectant into the body as a treatment.
When Trump suggested you could inject disinfectant into the body to prevent the spread of the coronavirus during press event in April, the internet went wild. Some people created memes of Trump recommended "Clorox Chewables" and "Lysol-tinis" while others focused on White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Deborah L. Birx's response.
—Jon Cooper 🇺🇸 (@joncoopertweets) April 24, 2020—Coonster (@hibeesfamily) April 24, 2020—Peanut (@IndignantPeanut) April 24, 2020And when Trump suggested that wearing a face mask made him look like the Lone Ranger, the internet couldn't resist pointing out what that meant.
For months, the president has stated that he prefers not to wear a face mask. But recently, he turned back on that idea and said he enjoyed wearing a mask because it made him feel like the Lone Ranger.
The only problem is that the Lone Ranger's mask doesn't actually cover his mouth and nose.
—S Smith (@SSmith51300228) July 1, 2020—Sarah Cooper (@sarahcpr) July 6, 2020In April, when Trump announced a council to plan how to reopen America after lockdowns, the internet gleefully created its own meme versions.
The council to advise Trump on reopening the economy included his daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, as well as Larry Kudlow, and several other cabinet members and advisors.
Here are some of the memes that made light of the council:
—Rob Sheridan Wears A Mask ◾️ BLM (@rob_sheridan) April 13, 2020—Alison Pitt (no relation) (@adastra1930) April 13, 2020—Brad Simpson (@bradleyrsimpson) April 13, 2020After Trump was criticized for drinking a glass of water with two hands in June, he made a point to drink water with one hand, and toss it to the side during a rally.
Video footage appeared to show Trump struggling to lift a glass of water during a West Point Commencement speech, prompting some people to raise questions about his health.
But a week later, Trump defiantly lifted a glass of water with one hand during a rally to prove he was capable of doing it. The clip circulated all over the internet, and some people even turned it into a "one hand water challenge" meme.
—Henry Winkler (@hwinkler4real) June 22, 2020—Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) June 21, 2020—j.d. durkin (@jiveDurkey) December 18, 2017ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufonyjsdKtZJ2nnpa5pXnTq6ymqF2isq6x0mamn2Wgp7K0tcOepZyxXZ67tbHRp5yt