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Questions

Many editorial (political) memes illustrate/exaggerate a news story in a humorous, lighthearted way. The first meme could be titled, “Marco when he hears he has to run Venezuela, Iran, Canada, Minnesota, Hilton and Greenland”

1. Who is the person in these memes?

2. What is the meaning of the memes?

3. Describe the news stories related to each outfit in each meme.


Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the answers.


 


 

Answers

1. The person in the memes is U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

2. The meme creators are exaggerating the number of roles Secretary Rubio has in the Trump administration. The number of roles Rubio holds in the Trump administration has been a running joke on social media. In addition to Secretary of State, President Trump appointed Rubio:

  • the Acting Administrator of USAID, a position he held for a few months
  • Acting Archivist at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), after Trump fired the previous Archivist for his role in the raid on Mar-a-Lago.
  • Acting National Security Advisor in May (to replace Mike Waltz, who was removed from the position)

3. The news stories related to the outfits:

The first meme (top left to right, then bottom left to right):

  • VENEZUELA: Following the U.S. capture over the weekend of wanted Venezuelan dictator Nicholas Maduro for his role as a drug cartel boss, when asked who is running Venezuela, President Trump said “we are” and indicated Secretary Rubio and others. (Rubio is not really “running” Venezuela.)
  • IRAN: As protests against the Iranian regime increased last week, Trump posted, “If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue.” His threat gave courage to the Iranian citizens protesting to continue. (The meme creator is joking that Trump would appoint Rubio head of Iran should the government fall.)
  • CANADA: Trump has suggested making Canada the 51st state. (Creator joking that Marco could run that too.)
  • MINNESOTA: Massive fraud (billions of dollars stolen from social services) has been exposed. Questions arise as to why Governor Walz ignored it. Walz announced this week he is dropping his bid for re-election. Some are calling for his resignation. (Creator joking that Marco could be appointed to run Minnesota too.)
  • HILTON: A Hilton hotel near Minneapolis refused to accommodate ICE agents who had booked rooms there. Following a public outcry this week, Hilton severed ties with that particular hotel. (Creator joking that Marco could be appointed to run that Hilton hotel too.)
  • GREENLAND: Since his first term, Trump has talked about buying Greenland “For purposes of National Security.” He repeated the idea this week. (Creator joking that Marco could be appointed to run Greenland also.)

The second meme:  Marco hearing he has been appointed head of Greenland.

The third meme: Marco hearing he has been appointed Green Bay Packers quarterback.

INTERESTING NOTE: Henry Kissinger held both the Secretary of State and NSA roles simultaneously under Presidents Nixon and Ford.