The 2024 US Presidential Election season has been eventful, to say the very least. From criminal trials to assassination attempts, drop-outs to coconut trees, SO much has happened - and we have not even had the actual election. And, as with all major, world-altering, our-future-is-literally-dependent-on-the-outcome-of-this events, there are plenty of memes to help us follow along with the action. Because we may as well get some entertainment out of it, right? 

As we count down the hours to a result that might literally shape the fate of humanity, let’s take a stroll down memory lane and relive this election campaign—in meme form!

On June 27th, US Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden faced off in their first debate of the 2024 election season. What was already pretty much guaranteed to be a complete mess turned out to be so, so much worse than anyone could have predicted - and while the future of one of the most powerful nations in the world seems to be in jeopardy, at least we got some pretty hilarious memes out of the whole situation.

One of the most iconic moments from the debate was Biden absolutely demolishing Trump with this single line: “The only person on this stage that’s a convicted felon is the man I’m looking at right now”. The pure unexpectedness of hearing a man over 80 deliver such a hard line truly sent shockwaves across the internet but, to top the entire moment off, Trump responded not with a snark comeback or offensive remark, but simply with a nod as if to say, as one comment put it, “Ok, you ate that one little thing”. The absurdity of the whole interaction was almost enough to make us forget that, yes, a literal convicted felon is running - and frankly has a decent shot - of becoming the President of the United States (AGAIN!) later this year. 

Another iconic moment that has dominated my For You page is Biden’s little slip-up. As he is discussing…honestly, I could not tell you, Biden trails off into what can only be described as an incoherent mumble, which I have seen comments interpret as “side waffles”. “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence, and I don’t think he knows what he said either,” says Trump when the debate is thrown back to him. The look of pure blasphemy on Biden’s face was genuinely comical, and a hilarious yet terrifying reminder of the fact that both candidates are just…really old.

Climate change, gun laws, the general state of the world and plans for the future were evidently not the most pressing concerns at the presidential debate - apparently, it was golf. The most heated either candidate got during the entire debate was while arguing about golf handicaps, carrying one's own bag at the driving range, and who was more of a child in this situation. You really cannot make this up. The argument went a little something like this:

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Biden: “Look, I'd be happy to have a driving contest with him. I got my handicap, which, when I was Vice President, down to a six. And by the way, I told you before, I'm happy to play golf if you carry your own bag. Think you can do it?”

Trump: “That's the biggest lie, that he's a six handicap of all. I was at eight handicaps. Eight. But I have.”

Biden: “I was at eight handicaps. Eight...”

Trump: “I've seen you swing. I know your swing. Let's not act like children.”

Biden: “You are a child.”

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So, while we really have no idea what the candidates are proposing to solve the economy, prevent violence, or reduce climate change, we do now know that Biden has a six handicap in golf (although Trump does not seem to agree).

Possibly the last thing anyone expected to come out of this year’s presidential debate was a ship between the two candidates, but all the edits have almost convinced me that #TRIDEN is real. How else would you explain the tension, the petty arguments, the fact that Biden essentially asked Trump out on a golf date? Or perhaps the internet has convinced themselves of this to avoid thinking about the fact that one of these two men is almost guaranteed to become the next leader of one of the most powerful nations on the planet. Personally, I much prefer convincing myself that Trump and Biden are secretly in love with each other. 

At a campaign rally on July 13, 2024, an assassination attempt was made against Trump, resulting in two deaths and two attendees in critical condition, and Trump sustained an injury to his right ear. The incident created waves both in the context of the election and across the globe.

In comically accurate Trump fashion, his first thought after being shot at was to turn to his supporters and raise his fist in the air, the crowd chanting “USA! USA!” as the presidential candidate was removed from the stage. As a classmate astutely noted, “I do not agree with anything Trump says or does, but this picture goes hard”.

The incident also seems to have sparked a new fashion trend among Trump’s supporters (many of the same people who, as 7NEWS’ Mark Humphries points out, refused to wear masks because “that would’ve looked ridiculous”). At the 2024 Republican Convention held a few days after the assassination attempt, the crowd was seen sporting bandages over their right ears, in “solidarity” with Trump after the assassination attempt…cute, I guess?

In a more recent (but not the last) shocking news from the 2024 election season, Biden has rescinded his presidential candidacy, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him as the Democratic nominee. What has been described as an “unprecedented” event, or even a “huge earthquake”, has been grasped by the internet as another meme-making opportunity. I mean, is it concerning that most of us seem to have found out about Biden dropping out through TikTok and Twitter? Honestly, at this point, anything else would have just felt wrong. 

Via Instagram

Via Instagram

While Kamala Harris’s entrance into the US Presidential Race after Biden dropped out eased some sense of impending doom brought about by certain other candidates, she brought her own share of iconic meme-able moments. 

As with all things preserved on the internet, Harris’s immortalised past came back to haunt her as she launched her presidential campaign. A now infamous clip of her speech at a 2023 White House event, during which she asked "You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” (in what context, I’m still not completely sure), took over the internet, infiltrating every aspect of her presidential candidacy until her campaign became known as “Operation Coconut Tree”. The quotation has even earned its very own Wikipedia page, which I honestly think is incredibly iconic. 

After a frankly shocking performance between Trump and Biden in the first 2024 US Presidential Debate, it is safe to say that many hoped for a better playout between Trump and Harris on September 10. Yet, as this election season has proven time and time again, perhaps the people had hoped for too much. What we did get, however, were plenty more memes - and I mean plenty. 

Some pretty outrageous things have been said during the election period, however, this one may take the cake - during the debate, in a discussion about immigration, Trump boldly claimed that 

"in Springfield, they are eating the dogs. The people that came in, they are eating the cats. They’re eating – they are eating the pets of the people that live there." 

Aside from the fact that this statement is completely untrue and baseless, it is also hilarious. Personally, I have not stopped laughing at clips of pets overlaid with Trump’s voice on my FYP. 

Another hilarious (if not incredibly concerning) outcome of the Second Presidential Debate that was not on my 2024 US Presidential Election bingo card was Trump being... relatable. When posed the question of whether he had a replacement plan for the US’s Affordable Care Act, Trump responded “I have concepts of a plan. I'm not president right now.” In summary, it is clear he has absolutely no clue what he is doing, and in a way I have to respect him for that (aside from the fact that, you know, he is a presidential candidate for the United States, and I am a university student) - because honestly Trump, me too. 

Via X

With all the questionable, unhinged comments made by Trump during this debate (which expands far beyond those mentioned above), it is no surprise that Harris may have had a difficult time keeping up with everything he said. But, as the icon she is, Harris’s hilarious reactions to Trump’s…interesting answers have circulated the internet, as many echoed her sentiment, because what was that man even on about.

via X

In a move that really should not shock anyone, Trump has rejected the idea of a further debate with Harris, claiming that it is too late in the electoral process for another as voting has already started (despite debating later during both the 2016 and 202 elections). To be fair, after the mass of memes Trump generated in the last debate, who can blame him.

Some Presidential Candidates kiss babies or take photos with dogs, but Trump took a different approach to proving he’s “one of the people” - serving fries at a McDonald’s drive-through (which was also an attempt to debunk Harris’s statement that she had worked at the chain momentarily in college, because for whatever reason he thought that was important). Aside from the fact that the idea of seeing Donald Trump at a Maccas drive-through window is actually terrifying, the content that has come out of his incredibly brief stint at the fast food joint is hilarious - it is obvious this man has never worked a hospitality job in his life. Oh, and the fact that he only worked for around 30 minutes, and the entire situation was staged. Shocking!

Via X

It would not be right to meme-review the 2024 US Presidential Election without mentioning Kamala HQ, the official rapid response page of Vice President Harris’ presidential campaign and the epitome of this year’s election memes. From keeping up with the latest trends to straight-up calling Trump out on his…questionable actions, Kamala HQ is both hilarious and incredibly clever marketing (they definitely understand their target audience). Shoutout to the admin, whoever you may be!

And with that…

With the 2024 US Presidential Election set to take place on November 5th, it is suddenly dawning just how significant a decision this is. Despite how incredibly unserious this election season has been, it is impossible to ignore how many people will be so significantly impacted by the outcome. But, regardless of how this election plays out, at least we got some hilarious memes out of it. 

You know, before the world potentially goes to shit.