It happens at least once a week. I’ll be on the couch, either watching a movie or doing some work, and my wife will lean over and show me a political meme on her phone. I’ll chuckle and start to go back to what I was doing when she’ll ask, “Did you see who posted it?” Inevitably, upon closer inspection, I’ll see the meme was posted by the official X account of The White House, and my fading chuckle will turn into a full-on guffaw.
Some would argue that it is beneath the Presidency to be posting memes intended to mock and insult the office-holder’s political opponents.
Ten to fifteen years ago, I may have agreed. Memes began to burgeon during my senior year of high school as social media sites like MySpace and Facebook were still relevant (yes, boomers, Facebook is for the aged now). Memes became more ubiquitous during my college years, and since then have turned mainstream. Everyone knows what a meme is, and everyone understands they are intended to convey a humorous message, usually accompanied by a viewpoint, be it controversial or innocuous.
Memes are a form of communication, whether you like it or not. Where words lack, memes suffice.
So, when President Trump shared a meme this week of an A.I.-generated Senator Chuck Schumer giving an overly-honest assessment of his reason for the government shutdown, with Representative Hakeem Jeffries clad in a poncho, sombrero, and Zapata mustache, it was funny but unsurprising.
Equally unsurprising was the pearl-clutching from the left.
Rep. Jeffries referred to the meme as “racist and bigoted.”
Why would that be, Hakeem? As far as I can tell, you’re not Hispanic. The President only dressed you in the cultural attire of the people you most wish to serve. I don’t see the problem.
What the Democrats will never grasp is that the more they complain about President Trump’s effect on them, the more encouraged he is to antagonize them.
Case in point. On Tuesday, Rep. Jeffries whined about the meme. The next day, during a press briefing featuring guest speaker Vice President J.D. Vance, the White House played the “sombrero meme” on a loop throughout the duration of the remarks. The loop included a sequel to the meme, featuring the whining Rep. Jeffries being surrounded by an all-Trump mariachi band. Fantastic.
This, of course, forced the press to cover the meme.
“Instead of backing off or apologizing for [the meme], they’re leaning into it,” CNN’s Kaitlan Collins said of the Trump White House repeatedly playing the meme. “They simply don’t care about that criticism,” Collins concluded, referring to Jeffries crying racism.
The Democrats, media included, have to pretend to be offended by memes and jokes. Otherwise, they would have to actually face the truths embedded in them.
The reason Jeffries, Collins, et al are so offended by the “sombrero meme” is because there’s a kernel of truth to it. The Democrats are trying to push indirect funding for subsidized healthcare that exclusively benefits illegal aliens, forcing the government into a shutdown over the budgetary disagreement. They have quite literally put illegal aliens’ needs before the needs of the American people.
But they can’t admit that, so they resort to crying about how Trump hurt their feelings instead.
And now, the “sombrero meme” has taken on a life of its own. Just search that term on X and you’ll find countless variations on the original.
Vice President Vance promised the “sombrero memes will stop” if Rep. Jeffries helps to end the government shutdown. That’s a promise I’d almost hate to see fulfilled. I’m greatly enjoying the memes.
But Vance is a good sport. Even when it comes to memes about himself. The somewhat frightening “baby-face” Vance meme began trending during the 2024 campaign. Odd? Yes. Hilarious? Also yes. So hilarious, in fact, that Vance has embraced the meme and reposted it on several occasions.
Being in on the joke shows humanity. It shows you don’t take yourself too seriously and you understand you’re flawed, just like everyone else.
The left desperately needs to learn to laugh at themselves. There’s plenty of material.