Last week, social media news headlines spiraled out of control with rumors surrounding the alleged death of President Donald Trump.
Photos circled the internet of his hands, noting their resemblance to the bruises on the hands of Queen Elizabeth of England a week prior to her death in 2022. One video in particular juxtaposes these side-by side photos of the two, with the caption, “When the hand starts bruising the clock starts ticking! #fyp #Trump #QueenElizabeth #leftisttiktok #PoliticalTiktok.” Comments under the video from users included, “It will be a great day in US history”, and “…let his cult die with him.” Another Tiktok user under the name @samanthareidyy posted a video preparing for the President’s death, as she bought a bottle of Monetto Prosecco, party hats, balloons, and confetti poppers.
With the growing online frenzy surrounding Trump’s suspected decline in health and speculated impending death, Gen Z has taken to their social media to collectively manifest the inevitable, or as some called it, “the day IT happens.” How will these types of videos impact the way in which Gen Z views future presidents and other people in positions of power? Is all respect lost or is this climate of social media unique to Mr. Trump and his administration?
Marcus Chmielewski, 23-year old from Los Angeles, California said, “I think this speaks more about the President’s character than it does about Gen Z’s population. We did not see this in prior administrations.”
That same week, @luci.bermudezz uploaded a video pranking her friends that Mr. Trump had been confirmed dead, eliciting extreme excitement from those she delivered the news to. When this video, with over 1 million views, 134.1k likes and 2k shares was shown to Chmielewski, he commented, “I think the message is funny. I like the message. It is difficult to feel empathetic for someone like that.”
Eliza Miller, 21-year old New Yorker shared that she would have the same reaction hearing this news: “It made me feel joyful, I wish it was happening.”
After asking Miller about her opinions regarding the ways in which Gen Z engages with this news about Trump, she responded, “I think this is unique to the current administration. We have never seen so much public and honest hatred for a president before… I think being more publicly against the president and making fun of them will remain but I don’t think it will be as strong as it is with Trump.”
In July of 2024, after the presidential debate between Biden and Trump, Gen Z seemed to equally bash both sides: User @sebz543 wrote, “Beginning of the end of America if they are the best America has to offer.” Other users compared their discussion to that of an old married couple after President Biden accused Trump of having the morals of “an alley cat.”
Miller speculated nonetheless, “Even if we have another president who is as awful as Trump, there is a certain shock factor because we have not yet had a president like him.” She believes that even if America were to see a president like Trump in the future, the memes would remain targeted at Trump and his administration, uniquely.
