Trump Vs Biden Election Parodies — Netherlands election parody displayed in news article or media screenshot.

Trump Vs Biden Election Parodies

2020Image edit / exploitable templatedead

Published March 30, 2026

Also known as: Election Infobox Parodies · Fake Election Memes

Trump vs. Biden Election Parodies is an image edit series that emerged in October 2020, reimagining the U.S. presidential election as if it were taking place in foreign or entirely fictional countries. Each parody takes the official Wikipedia infobox for the 2020 race and swaps in localized versions of Donald Trump and Joe Biden, complete with translated names and region-appropriate photos. The format spread rapidly across Reddit, Twitter, Discord, and 4chan in the weeks leading up to Election Day.

exploitable templates political satire memes trump memes presidential memes photoshop memes

Overview

The format works by taking the official Wikipedia election infobox graphic for the 2020 United States presidential race and editing it to depict a fictional election in another country1. The two candidates are always thinly veiled stand-ins for Donald Trump and Joe Biden, with their names phonetically adapted to fit the target culture. Portraits are swapped with local politicians, cultural figures, or AI-generated faces that match the region. The result is a deadpan parody that looks like a legitimate Wikipedia entry at first glance, making the joke land through its visual authenticity.

The 2020 election between Trump and Biden provided ideal raw material for the format3. The race was one of the most watched political events globally, with record voter turnout and intense international attention. That universal awareness made the candidates instantly recognizable enough to parody across any cultural context.

Origin & Background

Platform
Discord (first parody), Twitter / Reddit (viral spread)
Key People
mb
Date
2020

The original unedited infobox appeared on Wikipedia after both candidates received their formal party nominations in summer 2020. Donald Trump accepted the Republican nomination while Joe Biden secured the Democratic nomination at his party's convention on August 18, 20203.

On October 2nd, 2020, a Discord user known as "mb" created and shared what is believed to be the first parody version of the election infobox1. This initial edit depicted a fictional election in the "United Islamic States," replacing the candidates with region-appropriate equivalents while keeping the Wikipedia formatting intact. The image was tweeted the same day, marking the meme's jump from Discord to public social media.

How It Spread

The format picked up speed almost immediately. On October 3rd, 2020, Twitter user @GerogeWBussh shared a version of the parody, helping push it beyond Discord circles1.

The meme quickly found a home on Reddit, landing in several subreddits tailor-made for it. Posts appeared on r/PresidentialRaceMemes, r/ImaginaryElections, and r/MemriTVMemes, each community putting its own spin on the concept1. It also surfaced on Bunkerchan and 4chan's /pol/ board, where users created versions reflecting their own political humor and regional perspectives.

A Dutch version posted to r/circeltrek on October 9, 2020 became one of the format's biggest individual hits, pulling in over 1,800 upvotes within 24 hours1. The parody renamed the candidates "Donne-Jan Tromp" and "Joost Bijdens," and used a photo of far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders as the Trump stand-in. The comedic precision of matching Wilders to Trump struck a nerve with the Dutch Reddit community.

Over the following week, variations kept rolling in across r/PresidentialElectionMemes and r/ImaginaryElections1. Users created versions for countries across every continent, as well as entirely fictional nations, fantasy settings, and historical periods. The format peaked in the final weeks before the November 3rd election, when the 2020 race dominated online conversation worldwide3.

How to Use This Meme

The template follows a consistent formula:

1

Start with the Wikipedia infobox layout for the 2020 U.S. presidential election

2

Replace "United States" with a different country (real or fictional)

3

Rename the candidates to phonetic or cultural equivalents of "Donald Trump" and "Joe Biden"

4

Swap the candidate photos with politicians, public figures, or generated images that fit the target culture

5

Adjust party names, electoral details, and other metadata to match the fictional setting

Cultural Impact

The meme tapped into the unique global fixation on the 2020 election. Because the Trump-Biden race drew unprecedented international attention, the format worked across language barriers and cultural contexts3. Viewers from the Netherlands to the Middle East could instantly get the joke because both candidates were globally recognized figures.

The r/ImaginaryElections subreddit, which existed before the meme, saw a significant boost in activity as users adopted the format for increasingly creative scenarios1. The community went beyond simple country swaps, creating versions set in fictional universes, historical empires, and alternate timelines.

The meme's lifespan was tightly coupled to the 2020 election cycle. After Biden's victory on November 7, 2020, and the subsequent transition period, new versions slowed to a trickle3. The format depended on the specific cultural moment of the pre-election period, and without that context driving engagement, it faded.

Fun Facts

The Dutch version's use of Geert Wilders as the Trump stand-in was widely praised for its accuracy, since Wilders is often compared to Trump in European political commentary1.

The subreddit r/ImaginaryElections existed before the meme but became closely associated with it during October 20201.

The format required genuine knowledge of other countries' political systems, making it one of the more "educational" meme templates of the 2020 election cycle.

Biden's 2020 victory marked the first time an incumbent president lost re-election since George H.W. Bush in 19923.

Derivatives & Variations

Historical period edits:

Users created versions depicting the Trump-Biden dynamic in ancient Rome, medieval Europe, and other historical settings, keeping the Wikipedia formatting but adjusting it for the era[1].

Fictional universe edits:

Versions set in Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and other fictional universes reimagined the election with in-universe candidates and political parties[1].

Regional deep cuts:

Some of the most popular versions went beyond obvious country swaps to depict elections in obscure micronations or disputed territories, with hyper-specific cultural references[1].

Frequently Asked Questions