Donald Trump didn’t need critics to poke holes in his latest claim — the Internet did that on its own.
The president has long insisted he’s in great shape, as questions and concerns about his weight over the years refuse to die down.
Those doubts were picked up last year, in June. The White House announced he was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) following swelling in his legs. The condition is tied to improper blood flow, which is often described as common and manageable in older adults.
This time, critics didn’t have to reach far. As Democrats passed around a ruthless photo, viewers locked onto a detail that clashes with the image Trump’s been projecting.
Trump invited the crew of the Artemis II mission to the White House on April 29. The four astronauts returned to Earth following a nine-day flyby of the moon earlier this month.
Seated at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, the president hosted a livestream. In attendance were a NASA Commander, Pilot, Mission Specialist, and the Canadian Space Agency’s Mission Specialist.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman also stood behind Trump for the photo-op meant to celebrate the successful Artemis II journey. But the notoriously egocentric Trump unsurprisingly made himself the center of attention.
“I don’t know how they do it. I wouldn’t want to do it, but it takes people like this to make our country great,” Trump said about the three Americans and one Canadian who crewed the first low Earth orbit flight since 1972.
The polarizing Republican then suggested he was capable of being a NASA astronaut by adding, “To get in there, you have to be very smart. You have to do a lot of things physically good. So, I would have had no trouble making it. I’m physically, very, very good.”
That Trump quote lit up the internet.
Democrats clowned the former reality television star’s boastful claim about his fitness with a savage meme. It scored kudos from the party’s supporters and riled up the president’s MAGA base.
The Democrats’ account on X posted a ruthless photo of Trump that doesn’t match what he’s selling. The image recirculates online often, but a few added touches. It shows Trump wearing a white polo shirt and his signature “Make America Great Again” hat.
Sarcastically, the photo had the words “I’m physically, very, very good” written across his chest.
“Ooooof jump scare!!!” and “look at that” read two comments from observers who were taken aback by this view. Another said, “Hahahahaha too funny.”
One Trump MAGA backer offered a more positive spin on the Democrats dunking on the president, posting, “This is free advertising for Trump.”
While another countered, “He’s forgot that he’s not very smart.”
Folks who zoomed in on his blotchy-skinned, turkey-necked Trump, wondered, “Fit, how? I don’t believe pulling your pants up to your tits makes you in shape.” Another pointed out, “This is a doctored photo.”
While Trump was targeted for jokes, a high level of fury was also directed at the billionaire. One poster fiercely expressed, “That’s so disrespectful to the astronauts who trained hard for years. STFU, Trump.”
“He finds a way to make absolutely everything about himself!” exclaimed another individual.
View on Threads
Despite his attempt to overshadow the Artemis II crew, the four space travelers became focal points when observers zeroed in on their facial expressions during the Oval Office meeting.
“This was painful to watch. He barely talked about the Artemis II mission, and the astronauts just had to stand there. Look at their faces!” wrote someone on Threads, along with snapshots of four astronauts solemnly standing stone-faced behind Trump.
In addition, another concerned poster endorsed the crew being rescued from the awkward moment by jokingly requesting, “Someone save them.”
Besides having a reputation for being excessively self-absorbed, Trump has an unfiltered approach to attacking his foes. He often uses offensive and incendiary rhetoric.
That provocative modus operandi has included the MAGA leader outright attacking the appearance of his rivals.
He’s gone after former Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, left-leaning comedian Rosie O’Donnell, conservative pundit Megyn Kelly, and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
The Democrats have since adopted Trump’s method of poking fun at their adversary’s looks as a way to get under his skin. In November 2025, the X account mocked the reportedly 224-pound president’s “ideal male body.”
Trump claimed in January 2026 that professional photographers were supposedly making him “look a little bit heavy.”
Democrats spotlighted multiple images of the elderly grandfather looking chubby, disheveled, and orange-faced, just like they did now.
Trump will likely have more braggart outbursts throughout his remaining time as the president, particularly when it comes to the state of his health.
Questions about his swollen feet, bruised hands and hunched-over walk have been under constant scrutiny.
It appears the Democrats will not hold back in throwing Trump’s tendency to taunt his detractors with body-shaming insults right back at him. With the U.S. midterm elections just seven months away, the heat on both sides will surely increase during the countdown to November.
