Donald Trump staring longingly into the Western Wall might just be the meme 2017 needs.
On his state trip to Israel this week, the president of the United States visited the sacred Jewish site along with daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner. But while it should’ve been a moment of reverence, Twitter just couldn’t help but turn it into an ironic meme.
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Because, you know, Trump’s obsession with walls.
“‘Who paid for you?” he whispered. But the old wall keeps her secrets,” the viral tweet read, posted on Monday.
“Who paid for you?” he whispered. But the old wall keeps her secrets. pic.twitter.com/xplQhXvzQ3
— Jackie Jennings (@ohhijackie) May 22, 2017
The tweet has since been retweeted around 145 000 times, with more than 340 000 likes to boot. It also found its way onto meme encyclopedia Know Your Meme, and into the hearts of Imgur users too, receiving over 380 000 views on the image sharing site.
The Western Wall is an ancient limestone wall in Jerusalem’s Old City, erected under the rule of Herod The Great around 19 BCE. Noting its holy standing in the Jewish faith, some Twitter users did not find it at all funny.
@ohhijackie How mature of you to mock a solemn moment. Very unclassy, you should be ashamed
— Namtrek (@namtrek) May 23, 2017
Others chimed in with their versions.
@ohhijackie I’ll have 2 Big Macs and large fries with to go pic.twitter.com/IxACjv2asR
— Barrett Heating (@HeatingBarrett) May 22, 2017
@ohhijackie @KateChief pic.twitter.com/VaOU9qR4LE
— SoCal Cub Fan (@USNCubFan) May 22, 2017
It’s a bit presumptuous to call this a meme just yet, especially considering the legacy of some of Donald Trump’s other memes. Who can forget @TrumpDraws? Or hell, the hundreds of other memes spawned in just the first 100 days of his presidency?
But considering Trump’s obsession with his proposed border wall between the US and Mexico, him stroking any stone barrier lovingly would’ve likely spawned a meme. It so just happens that the wall in this case is one steeped in history.
