Unflattering Donald Trump

2016Exploitable / Photoshop memesemi-active

Also known as: #TrumpleChin · Unflattering Trump Photos

Unflattering Donald Trump is a 2016 photoshop meme built on humorously timed photographs of Trump that he complained about, spawning thousands of remixed versions across social media.

Unflattering Donald Trump is a meme built around humorously timed photographs of Donald Trump that reportedly annoyed him, which users then gleefully spread and photoshopped across social media. The trend kicked off in late November 2016 after reports surfaced that Trump had complained about unflattering photos of himself to television executives. What started as a Streisand Effect moment quickly turned into a full-blown photoshop meme, with thousands of remixed versions flooding Twitter and Reddit.

trump memesstreisand effect memespolitical satire memesphotoshop memesbody image memes

Overview

The meme centers on a set of photographs of Donald Trump taken at unflattering angles, particularly profile shots that emphasize the subcutaneous fat beneath his chin. After news broke that Trump was bothered by such images, internet users did what they do best: shared the photos as widely as possible and created countless photoshopped edits. The most iconic image is a side-profile shot that became the basis for hundreds of remixes, comparisons to animals, and absurd digital alterations4.

On November 21, 2016, the news site Politico reported that Trump had complained to television executives and anchors during an off-the-record meeting at Trump Tower about "photos of himself that NBC used that he found unflattering"4. The complaint was attributed to an unnamed source who attended the gathering.

Three days later, on November 24, 2016, musician Charles Johnson posted one of Trump's unflattering photographs to Twitter with the message: "I hear Donald Trump really hates this photo: So make sure not to retweet it. Ever." The reverse psychology worked exactly as intended. Within one week, Johnson's tweet picked up over 29,100 retweets and 16,400 likes4.

Origin & Background

Platform
Twitter (viral spread), Politico (triggering report)
Key People
Charles Johnson
Date
2016

On November 21, 2016, the news site Politico reported that Trump had complained to television executives and anchors during an off-the-record meeting at Trump Tower about "photos of himself that NBC used that he found unflattering". The complaint was attributed to an unnamed source who attended the gathering.

Three days later, on November 24, 2016, musician Charles Johnson posted one of Trump's unflattering photographs to Twitter with the message: "I hear Donald Trump really hates this photo: So make sure not to retweet it. Ever." The reverse psychology worked exactly as intended. Within one week, Johnson's tweet picked up over 29,100 retweets and 16,400 likes.

How It Spread

The meme spread fast once Johnson's tweet went viral. On November 25, Twitter user @PixMichelle posted several unflattering Trump photographs along with the hashtag "#TrumpleChin". The next day, Twitter user @Marmel placed a Trump profile photograph next to a photo of a pelican, drawing an unflattering comparison that earned more than 12,600 retweets and 10,900 likes within four days.

On November 28, 2016, Andy Lassner, Executive Producer of The Ellen Show, tweeted the Trump profile photograph and urged his followers to retweet it. That same day, the photo hit Reddit when user LZMRaul posted it to r/photoshopbattles, inviting the community to go wild with digital edits. The post pulled in over 17,200 votes and 1,700 comments in 24 hours, spawning dozens of creative photoshopped variations.

The Poke highlighted some of the best edits, including comparisons to a Vogon from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and described the situation as "a terrible film that lasts for four years". Multiple news outlets covered the photoshop meme in the following days, with Crave publishing a roundup of the best edits and Uproxx covering the viral photo's spread.

How to Use This Meme

The Unflattering Donald Trump meme typically works in a few ways:

1

Streisand Effect sharing — Post one of the unflattering photos with a caption like "Don't share this" or "Trump hates this photo, so please don't retweet"

2

Side-by-side comparisons — Place a Trump photo next to something it resembles (animals, fictional characters, food items)

3

Photoshop edits — Take the iconic profile shot and digitally alter it into absurd scenarios, movie posters, album covers, or other visual jokes

4

Hashtag use — Tag posts with #TrumpleChin or similar hashtags when sharing unflattering angles

Cultural Impact

The meme is a textbook example of the Streisand Effect, where attempts to suppress something only amplify its reach. Trump's private complaint to media executives, once leaked to Politico, turned what would have been forgettable photos into a viral event. The r/photoshopbattles thread alone produced enough creative edits to fuel news coverage across multiple outlets. The Ellen Show's executive producer joining in gave the trend mainstream visibility beyond typical internet meme circles.

Fun Facts

Charles Johnson's original tweet used classic reverse psychology, telling people not to retweet the photo, which predictably backfired in Trump's favor of virality

The Poke compared the prospect of a Trump presidency to "a terrible film that lasts for four years"

The r/photoshopbattles post was only 65% upvoted despite its massive engagement, suggesting the topic was divisive even on Reddit

The entire meme exists because of an off-the-record meeting that someone leaked to the press

Derivatives & Variations

#TrumpleChin

— A hashtag collecting unflattering chin-focused Trump photos, coined by @PixMichelle on Twitter[4]

Pelican comparison

— @Marmel's side-by-side of Trump and a pelican became one of the most shared individual edits[4]

Vogon edit

— A comparison to the alien race from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, featured by The Poke[1]

r/photoshopbattles variations

— Hundreds of edits created by Reddit users in the original thread, ranging from ice cream cones to movie poster parodies[4]

Frequently Asked Questions

Unflattering Donald Trump

2016Exploitable / Photoshop memesemi-active

Also known as: #TrumpleChin · Unflattering Trump Photos

Unflattering Donald Trump is a 2016 photoshop meme built on humorously timed photographs of Trump that he complained about, spawning thousands of remixed versions across social media.

Unflattering Donald Trump is a meme built around humorously timed photographs of Donald Trump that reportedly annoyed him, which users then gleefully spread and photoshopped across social media. The trend kicked off in late November 2016 after reports surfaced that Trump had complained about unflattering photos of himself to television executives. What started as a Streisand Effect moment quickly turned into a full-blown photoshop meme, with thousands of remixed versions flooding Twitter and Reddit.

trump memes streisand effect memes political satire memes photoshop memes body image memes

Overview

The meme centers on a set of photographs of Donald Trump taken at unflattering angles, particularly profile shots that emphasize the subcutaneous fat beneath his chin. After news broke that Trump was bothered by such images, internet users did what they do best: shared the photos as widely as possible and created countless photoshopped edits. The most iconic image is a side-profile shot that became the basis for hundreds of remixes, comparisons to animals, and absurd digital alterations.

On November 21, 2016, the news site Politico reported that Trump had complained to television executives and anchors during an off-the-record meeting at Trump Tower about "photos of himself that NBC used that he found unflattering". The complaint was attributed to an unnamed source who attended the gathering.

Three days later, on November 24, 2016, musician Charles Johnson posted one of Trump's unflattering photographs to Twitter with the message: "I hear Donald Trump really hates this photo: So make sure not to retweet it. Ever." The reverse psychology worked exactly as intended. Within one week, Johnson's tweet picked up over 29,100 retweets and 16,400 likes.

Origin & Background

Platform
Twitter (viral spread), Politico (triggering report)
Key People
Charles Johnson
Date
2016

On November 21, 2016, the news site Politico reported that Trump had complained to television executives and anchors during an off-the-record meeting at Trump Tower about "photos of himself that NBC used that he found unflattering". The complaint was attributed to an unnamed source who attended the gathering.

Three days later, on November 24, 2016, musician Charles Johnson posted one of Trump's unflattering photographs to Twitter with the message: "I hear Donald Trump really hates this photo: So make sure not to retweet it. Ever." The reverse psychology worked exactly as intended. Within one week, Johnson's tweet picked up over 29,100 retweets and 16,400 likes.

How It Spread

The meme spread fast once Johnson's tweet went viral. On November 25, Twitter user @PixMichelle posted several unflattering Trump photographs along with the hashtag "#TrumpleChin". The next day, Twitter user @Marmel placed a Trump profile photograph next to a photo of a pelican, drawing an unflattering comparison that earned more than 12,600 retweets and 10,900 likes within four days.

On November 28, 2016, Andy Lassner, Executive Producer of The Ellen Show, tweeted the Trump profile photograph and urged his followers to retweet it. That same day, the photo hit Reddit when user LZMRaul posted it to r/photoshopbattles, inviting the community to go wild with digital edits. The post pulled in over 17,200 votes and 1,700 comments in 24 hours, spawning dozens of creative photoshopped variations.

The Poke highlighted some of the best edits, including comparisons to a Vogon from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and described the situation as "a terrible film that lasts for four years". Multiple news outlets covered the photoshop meme in the following days, with Crave publishing a roundup of the best edits and Uproxx covering the viral photo's spread.

How to Use This Meme

The Unflattering Donald Trump meme typically works in a few ways:

1

Streisand Effect sharing — Post one of the unflattering photos with a caption like "Don't share this" or "Trump hates this photo, so please don't retweet"

2

Side-by-side comparisons — Place a Trump photo next to something it resembles (animals, fictional characters, food items)

3

Photoshop edits — Take the iconic profile shot and digitally alter it into absurd scenarios, movie posters, album covers, or other visual jokes

4

Hashtag use — Tag posts with #TrumpleChin or similar hashtags when sharing unflattering angles

Cultural Impact

The meme is a textbook example of the Streisand Effect, where attempts to suppress something only amplify its reach. Trump's private complaint to media executives, once leaked to Politico, turned what would have been forgettable photos into a viral event. The r/photoshopbattles thread alone produced enough creative edits to fuel news coverage across multiple outlets. The Ellen Show's executive producer joining in gave the trend mainstream visibility beyond typical internet meme circles.

Fun Facts

Charles Johnson's original tweet used classic reverse psychology, telling people not to retweet the photo, which predictably backfired in Trump's favor of virality

The Poke compared the prospect of a Trump presidency to "a terrible film that lasts for four years"

The r/photoshopbattles post was only 65% upvoted despite its massive engagement, suggesting the topic was divisive even on Reddit

The entire meme exists because of an off-the-record meeting that someone leaked to the press

Derivatives & Variations

#TrumpleChin

— A hashtag collecting unflattering chin-focused Trump photos, coined by @PixMichelle on Twitter[4]

Pelican comparison

— @Marmel's side-by-side of Trump and a pelican became one of the most shared individual edits[4]

Vogon edit

— A comparison to the alien race from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, featured by The Poke[1]

r/photoshopbattles variations

— Hundreds of edits created by Reddit users in the original thread, ranging from ice cream cones to movie poster parodies[4]

Frequently Asked Questions