At a moment when millions of Americans are facing furloughs, food insecurity, and growing anxiety over a month-long government shutdown, President Donald Trump’s administration decided to post a meme.
This week, the official White House account on X published a Halloween-themed graphic captioned “Choose wisely …” with a ghost emoji, the official White House account showed pictures of Trump and Vice President JD Vance along with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Jeffries is shown wearing a sombrero with the caption, “Includes -sombrero – one filibuster speech no one remembers Not included – common sense.”
The post immediately backfired.
Whoever runs the White House account seemed to confuse Jeffries with New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who actually gave a record-breaking Senate filibuster earlier this year. Jeffries, a member of the House, has never filibustered — because the House doesn’t allow it.
The weird post also features a smiling Vance with the caption, “Includes – the word please – you didn’t say thank you memes Not included – fat JD curly hair.” Not exactly a resounding endorsement of Vance, especially compared to the praise heaped on Trump.
“Includes – all 7 swing states – 77 million popular votes Not included – crown.”
Social media had a fit over the post, which went viral with more than 1.4 million views.
“Does the intern running the white house page not know Hakeem Jeffries and Cory Booker are different people,” one X user wondered.
“Official government account is tweeting lame ass insults to other politicians … This administration is a joke,” another X user stated.
“So tasteless. To think that the official White House page would be posting something like this. All class gone,” fumed another.
Another added as the jokes piled up against Vance, “I guess making fun of JD Vance is something we can all agree on.”
But instead of pushing back against the online mockery, Vance decided to lean into the joke. For Halloween, the vice president dressed up as his own viral caricature complete with a wild wig and a self-parodying message: “Happy Halloween everyone, remember to say thank you while you trick or treat!” he said in a video posted on X.
The White House even reshared the costume photo, doubling down on the spectacle. But for critics, the move only deepened the embarrassment. It wasn’t just bad optics — it was undignified for a sitting official.
As one Threads user put it, “This is like the bullied kid in high school becoming self-deprecating and pretending everyone is actually laughing with him instead of at him.”
Another added bluntly, “He’s trying too hard to be funny.” Others went further: “Good lord. What a disaster!!!!” and “You are the world’s laughing stock.”
The tone-deaf posts landed at the worst possible time. The government remains shut down as the administration blames Democrats for the stalemate while 42 million Americans face suspension of SNAP (food-stamp) benefits starting November 1 — a fact the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed while accusing Senate Democrats of “deliberate obstruction.”
Meanwhile, a Washington Post poll shows 45 percent of Americans now blame Trump and Republicans for the shutdown, compared to 33 percent who fault Democrats.
Despite the crisis, the White House has spent the past month leaning into meme culture instead of damage control.
The sombrero meme dates back to early October when Trump posted an AI-generated video showing Jeffries in a sombrero and mustache while mariachi music played. The video also depicted Schumer making fabricated remarks in a faux-Latino accent — a move Jeffries called “disgusting” and “racist and fake.” Vice President Vance defended the videos as harmless, telling reporters: “I think it’s funny. The president’s joking and we’re having a good time.”
In fact, the White House later used large screens in a press briefing room to replay the clip on loop, and a spokesperson mockingly declared, “The sombreros will continue until the Democrats reopen the government!”
Critics argue that while Americans wait for their paychecks, healthcare benefits and agency operations, the White House is posting memes that mock minority lawmakers and pump up Trump’s persona instead.
