This week, President Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19, and while many are speculating whether or not he actually has the virus, the internet is coping with the madness in the only way it knows how: making memes.
Video Produced by Henry Kueppers
Diagnosis
The President has officially been diagnosed with COVID as of Friday, October 2nd. He joins hundreds of thousands of other Americans who have become sick throughout the global pandemic. Some are saying it’s karma, or poetic justice that Trump got the coronavirus, as he blatantly downplayed the severity of the virus over and over again. Even more people are wondering if this is all just some political ploy. Regardless, the President is currently receiving treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for his treatment, the source of inspiration behind the memes.
Walter Reed Presidential Suite
Walter Reed National Military has been the hospital of choice for Presidents dating all the way back to FDR in the 1930’s. Make sure to keep this in mind and then it shouldn’t come as too big a surprise when you see the following photos of the place. On Friday, reporter Richard Southern shared pictures of Trump’s hospital suite, captioning the photos, “U.S president Trump isn’t staying in any old hospital room. Walter Reed Hospital has a six-room presidential suite just for the commander in chief that includes an intensive care unit, a kitchen, a living room, a bedroom, and a dining room with a crystal chandelier.”
U.S president Trump isn’t staying in any old hospital room. Walter Reed Hospital has a six-room presidential suite just for the commander in chief that includes an intensive care unit, a kitchen, a living room, a bedroom, & a dining room with a crystal chandelier. pic.twitter.com/QQVhFYjzLJ
— Richard Southern (@RichardCityNews) October 3, 2020
Oh, The Memes!
Reporter Southern probably had no idea that his words were soon going to be used hundreds of thousands of times for meme enthusiasts all over the internet. Poor guy! The internet was quick to notice how outdated the set up was and how it highlighted classism in treatment of Americans with COVID-19.
While thousands of Americans have been turned away for treatment during the pandemic because of hospital bills and overcrowded hospital facilities, the fact that Trump was able to get a Victorian style mini mansion as his hospital room, is just a meme begging to be made.
For starters, look at the decor! It looks like every grandmother in the world gathered together and put every last floral rug or bed comforter they could find. And the beds look like they haven’t been updated since FDR was last there, but, enough from us. Let’s see what the internet said about it, using Richard Southern’s original caption.
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U.S president Trump isn’t staying in any old hospital room. Walter Reed Hospital has a six-room presidential suite just for the commander in chief that includes an intensive care unit, a kitchen, a living room, a bedroom, & a dining room with a crystal chandelier. pic.twitter.com/ibTx8RvpDE
— Americana At Brand Memes (@americanamemes) October 4, 2020
https://twitter.com/PaulCPace/status/1312502113402978305?s=20
U.S president Trump isn’t staying in any old hospital room. Walter Reed Hospital has a six-room presidential suite just for the commander in chief that includes an intensive care unit, a kitchen, a living room, a bedroom, & a dining room with a crystal chandelier. pic.twitter.com/uNZaKNYlS3
— asslos jorrea (@DJCLOCKmpls) October 3, 2020
https://twitter.com/joseonfag/status/1312563642420793344?s=20
Even in the face of a global pandemic and severe classism in our country, memes will stand the test of time. Some people even took creative liberties and switched up their captions a little bit, but don’t worry, the memes are still just as good.
One Twitter user said, “U.S president Trump isn’t staying in any old hospital room.” alongside a picture of ET.
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U.S president Trump isn’t staying in any old hospital room. pic.twitter.com/iK5cKH7yfY
— Eric Allen Hatch @ericallenhatch.bsky.social (@ericallenhatch) October 4, 2020
Someone else replied to this, “It reminds me of the suite Bowman grows old in at the end of 2001 A Space Odyssey.”
https://twitter.com/JuneSim63/status/1312487677162266625?s=20
Classism In America
Jokes aside, we need to remember that again, these images are showing us that the rich and powerful are getting better treatment than nearly all of America. During a global pandemic, we should not show favoritism, but rather making sure we treat and take care of all our citizens. Therefore, while some people continued to make memes, others voiced their outrage and concern over the disparity of treatment.
I keep thinking of those sent home to die from hospitals that had no room for them. Struggling to breathe, dying horrific deaths.
— soupcity (@emmbee1002) October 3, 2020
Another agreed and added:
That’s a fancy setup compared to other Americans laying in hallways waiting for treatment while suffering from covid. pic.twitter.com/h9pjpOY2wu
— Shoresy (@radiokaos666) October 3, 2020
It should also be noted that Trump has been on record stating he does not believe in the severity of the virus and heavily scrutinizes and downplays it’s seriousness. Even just last week at the Presidential debate, President Trump made fun of Joe Biden and his supporters for wearing masks. His lack of concern before getting the virus (and quite frankly, while he still has it) has many Americans concerned.
Overall, the memes made from this situation brought laughs to us all and went viral on social media. However, under all the jokes, they did raise serious questions around the ethics of treating people with the same disease differently, solely based on the amount of money they have. What do you guys think of this situation? Do you think these memes could help bring about social change, or are they just stupid silly jokes?
Video Created By:
Henry Kueppers
