The Best Political Memes of 2017 So Far
It's shaping up to be a good year ... for the internet at least.
Some treat politics like a game. Others view it as a bastion of hilarious memes. In 2016, the internet was jam-packed with viral phenomena; there was the plethora of Joe Biden horsing around photos, accusations that Ted Cruz lives a double a life as the Zodiac Killer, a left-out Bernie Sanders, and a whole lot more. It’s no surprise that 2017 would also hold an avalanche of political memes.
It’s only a few months into 2017 and the political landscape has given the internet plenty to work with. Most of the memes, of course, have centered on President Trump and his administration. There’s no shortage of Trump tweets or insecurities that memers have jumped on.
With high hopes for what the rest of the year will produce, here are the best political memes of 2017 (so far):
8. Ivanka’s Trudeau Thirst
Maybe it was just unfortunate timing, but when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the Trump White House recently, multiple photographs caught Ivanka Trump looking infatuated with their guest.
Jared Kushner better get himself some denim if he wants to keep up.
Trudeau, famously good-looking for a politician, handled his time in Washington with poise and tact, but that didn’t stop the internet from delving into Ivanka’s subconscious. Unlike the other, more pointed memes on this list, the Ivanka-Trudeau moment represented a bit of innocent fun that could have happened regardless of who was in the White House. A rare moment of relatability between a Trump family member and the public.
As the meme proliferated on Twitter, it began to seem more and more likely that disappointed liberals aren’t the only ones considering a move to Canada.
As an added bonus, Trudeau’s visit with Trump also provided some great hand-size content.
7. I Wrote It Myself
It might feel like forever ago, but on January 18 Trump tweeted a photo of himself supposedly writing his own inaugural address at Mar-a-Lago — and it became immediate meme fodder.
The picture was packed with stuff to pick on, from the mosaic tile backdrop to the fact that Trump appears to be holding a Sharpie. It began almost immediately, offering people some humorous catharsis just days before Trump’s inauguration.
The moment was sweetened further when information surfaced, just three days later, that revealed it was actually some of Trump’s advisors who wrote the bulk of his address. So, you might say, the picture was actually fake news.
6. Boycott Nordstrom
When Nordstrom announced that it would no longer be selling Ivanka Trump’s clothing line, citing poor performance, the president was quick to react harshly to the decision. He called it unfair and defended Ivanka in a tweet (posted during an intelligence meeting) later that day.
The tweet kicked off an impromptu boycott of Nordstrom among Trump supporters, with some proudly announcing their intentions to the world. One particular gaggle of ladies caught the attention of the internet with a video of them storming into one of the department starts and canceling their accounts. Unfortunately for these women, and other Trump supporters, their attempts at outrage were quickly turned on their head after the internet began lampooning their ire. It was less of a meme movement and more of a viral gawking.
Nothing was held back.
Even the wording of Trump’s tweet was fair game.
Hold on a sec...
Later, Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway appeared on television to urge viewers to “Buy Ivanka”. In one fell swoop, she violated ethics rules and sparked new tweets that elongated the life of the viral phenomenon.
5. Trump Draws
Created in response to the sheer number of executive orders Trump has signed so far and his bizarre way of showing them off the press afterward, “Trump Draws” reimagines what’s on the inside of those leather folders.
It’s the simplest of concepts, but it gets to the heart of the idea that Trump himself, without the aid other Republicans, is capable of little in the realm of crafting policy. The editing is impeccable, and the serious expression on Trump’s face as he shows off the new “order” is what really make the whole thing.
4. Tiny Trump
Perhaps the crown jewel of political memes so far this year, “Tiny Trump” is also the newest addition to the internet’s political meme repertoire.
It was started on the pics subreddit after users juxtaposed a picture of big Obama and a picture of Tiny Trump next to their secret service agents. It has since spawned a subreddit of its own.
Beyond its hilarity, the significance of Tiny Trump is hard to miss, given all the time Trump has spent in the past clarifying how big his “hands” are. His obsession with size and scale make him an easy target for this meme, which has also now been made into a video.
3. Kellyanne’s Couch Moment
It’s perhaps the strangest political meme to emerge so far in 2017, and it all started with a picture of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway sitting on an Oval Office couch. The photo was first tweeted by the AFP News Agency, depicting Conway sitting on the couch, phone in hand, legs folded under her, as President Trump conducted a meeting with the heads of numerous historically black colleges.
There was plenty of chatter regarding the lack of respect Conway was demonstrating for the White House’s guests, but the internet latched onto the photo’s oddity as the perfect meme.
Similar to Ivanka Trump’s mini obsession with Justin Trudeau, it’s a lighter sort of meme. It’s more silly than it is cutting, in contrast to “Tiny Trumps” or “Trump Draws.” But it’s no less hilarious, with Twitter users making references to a multitude of sources, such as Forest Gump and Pokemon Go.
2. The Obamacare Replacement
When Republicans unveiled their plan to replace the Affordable Care Act with the American Healthcare Act, liberals were quick to voice their disappointment with the proposed bill.
Much of that discontent, as often happens nowadays, was channeled into a brand new meme.
It’s a compare and contrast meme, a side-by-side of two pictures, one clearly more desirable than the other.
1. Trucker Trump
President Trump did about 90 percent of the legwork on this one, evidently thinking that it was a good idea to bring a bunch of photographers as he climbed into the driver’s seat of a truck during a meeting with representatives from the American Trucking Association.
To be fair, there’s not a person among us who hasn’t fantasized about getting behind the wheel of a big rig, honking the horn, and making engine noises with our mouths. But maybe, when there’s already a whole genre of memes dedicated to infantilizing the president, they could have seen this one coming.
Almost no Photoshop required here. The pictures alone provide plenty of room for interpretation.
Although the ones that did involve a little editing were pretty great as well.
Witness him.
As good as these memes are, the year is still young. There’s no telling what will come down the pipe next. In a year when politics seem utterly unpredictable, the memes will be, too.
