Viral Animal’s ‘Cringe’ MAGA Makeover Met With Backlash
Internet sensation Jimothy, the rare raccoon from Seattle, has found himself on the front lines of a culture war thanks to the White House.
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The official White House X account posted a doctored picture of the raccoon wearing a red hat with the phrase ‘Trump was right about everything’ on it with the caption: “Jimothy spotted on the way to Washington D.C. !!” on Thursday.
Jimothy has gone viral because of his appearance, which is believed to be caused by a rare genetic condition known as short spine syndrome.
His strangely shaped body has captivated online meme makers, who have flooded social media sites with his likeness.
But the White House post, which sought to capitalize on Jimothy’s online popularity, drew swift and sustained criticism from X users.
They called the post “cringe,” and said the official government account had ruined their fun.
“Take Jimothy’s name out of your filthy mouths,” wrote one user.
Another said the post was “peak boomer cringe.”
Some accounts posted their own version of the White House’s picture, with Jimothy’s hat bearing various anti-Trump sentiments.
X owner Elon Musk was also catching strays from an angry online crowd. “I swear y’all go out of your way to try to ruin everyone’s fun. You have terrible ELON LEVEL humor and nobody like y’all. Just spoil sports out to make everyone as miserable as you are,” one user wrote.
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Others used the meme as an opportunity to draw parallels between Jimothy and the president.
“Spineless just like Trump,” one replied.
The White House’s social media presence is decidedly different under the Trump administration than it has been under previous presidents.
Where the Biden White House accounts may have shared a picture of President Biden signing a bill into law, or hosting guests in the Oval Office, the Trump White House accounts lean into online language and meme culture, and often repost Trump’s Truth Social screeds.
A recent X post used the word ‘Deportationmaxxing’ over an image of ICE agents arresting people and guards standing over prisoners—a reference to the online looksmaxxing community.
The first president truly of the social media era, Barack Obama, took a similar approach to the platforms as Biden, sharing official photographs, policy information and standard political messaging.
The White House accounts are official government accounts, and are handed over from one administration to the next.
The Jimothy post has been viewed more than 1.6 million times, and hearted by 22,000 X users.
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The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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