The Best Inauguration Day Memes So Far

A great day for democracy, a big day for the memes.

  • Author: Luana Harumi
  • Cover photo by Alex Wong via Getty Images.

It’s official: Joseph R. Biden Jr. is the 46th president of the United States. Because of the pandemic, the swearing-in ceremony took place before a significantly smaller crowd from previous years, with thousands of flags across the National Mall representing the groups who would normally attend instead. 

The lack of people didn’t mean a lack of memes, though. As usual, the Internet was soon filled with funny remarks about this historical event. Here are some of our favorites:

Lady Gaga’s Hunger Games

Gaga was one of the biggest celebrities to support Biden during his campaign and was invited to sing the National Anthem at the swearing-in ceremony. But it wasn’t just her voice that stunned the audience: her Schiaparelli Haute Couture outfit, designed by Daniel Roseberry, gave people some real “Hunger Games” vibes – especially because of her giant golden dove brooch, which resembled Katniss’ Mockingjay pin from the movies. 

…And Michelle Obama’s fit game

The former first lady attended the ceremony in a burgundy coat and a matching jumpsuit by South Carolina-based designer Sergio Hudson. The show-stopping look was complete with a round golden belt and a flawless hairdo that had the internet drooling. 

The mysterious Dior 1s

As cameras closed in on Senator Amy Klobuchar, who was giving some remarks at the ceremony, some viewers were able to spot an ultra-rare sighting: someone in the background was coming down the stairs rocking a pair of Dior 1 sneakers, from the 2020 collab between Dior and Air Jordan. Wider photos showed the sneakerhead to be Nikolas Ajagu, partner of Meena Harris – Vice President Kamala Harris’ niece. (Meena later confirmed the information on Twitter.)

Bernie Sanders

Still, the boldest fashion statement came from Senator Bernie Sanders, who paired his signature beige parka – yes, the same one from the “I am once again asking” meme – with handmade mittens, which were a gift from a Vermont teacher. The meme was complete with his cranky-looking pose. 

“Let’s get loud!”

Dressed in Chanel, Jennifer Lopez gave a moving performance of “This Is Your Land” at the inauguration, “remixed” with “America the Beautiful.” She then recited a line of the Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish before finishing with a snippet of her 1999 classic “Let’s Get Loud” – and got viewers hyped up. 

Trump’s note to President Biden

Despite refusing to attend the inauguration ceremony, sources confirmed on Wednesday morning that Donald Trump had left a note for Biden inside the White House. However, the contents of the letter were not released to the public – leaving the internet to speculate what the former president could have possibly written. 

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