What to Know
Critics of the Trump administration are getting really tired of the White House’s social media posts. On Wednesday, May 27, the official White House account shared a lengthy tribute to Harambe, the gorilla who was shot and killed at the Cincinnati Zoo in 2016 after a three-year-old got into a gorilla enclosure.
The post has raised tons of questions about the Trump administration’s priorities, the purpose of the tribute, and the memeification of the United States government.
The White House called Harambe “a true patriot.”
View on Threads
“Today, we remember a legend,” the post began. “On this day in history, Harambe would have celebrated another birthday. An icon that became part of internet history, American culture, and an entire generation’s timeline.”
It continued, “Tomorrow marks 10 years since we lost him. Ten years since the moment the world stopped scrolling and collectively mourned something bigger than a meme. He became a symbol of loyalty, strength, chaos, unity, and the strange beauty of the internet bringing millions of people together for one cause: never forgetting Harambe. Everyone remembers where they were when they heard the news. And somehow, a decade later, his legacy still lives on.”
Several critics on X pointed out that the tribute sounded AI-generated. Aside from that, a lot of people hate the way the actual White House shares memes and trolls people.
Critics said the post serves as a reminder that “Redditors” are currently running the country.
every time the world starts feeling a semblance of normalcy this stupid fucking account has to remind us that we’re stuck with the reddit regime for another 3 years https://t.co/8t9ip2cXnV
— bilatinman kio (@kzzrttt) May 28, 2026
In response to the post, one critic wrote, “every time the world starts feeling a semblance of normalcy this stupid f—ing account has to remind us that we’re stuck with the reddit regime for another 3 years.” Someone else said, “A bunch of 60 year old redditors run my country.”
Headquarters, a Gen-Z-focused organizing project affiliated with Kamala Harris (formerly KamalaHQ), also reacted to the tribute. The account shared an image of a man in a Reddit shirt. They captioned it with, “How the admin felt posting this.”
Of course, people also questioned the Trump administration’s priorities.
How the admin felt posting this https://t.co/6PXdvGnRKx pic.twitter.com/t9awqkFiG7
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) May 27, 2026
Because the tribute also reminded critics of the anniversaries, occasions, and tragedies that the White House did not acknowledge at all. Several people on Threads pointed out that May 27 would’ve been the birthday of Melissa Hortman, the Speaker Emerita of the Minnesota House of Representatives, who was assassinated in June 2025.
The White House was silent about this, and some people did not see it as a coincidence. “Melissa Hortman would have had a birthday today, but they’re deliberately honoring the birthday of a gorilla instead,” one critic claimed. “This administration is vile enough to be doing this deliberately.”
People also made similar comments about George Floyd, who died on May 25, 2020. “Is this a twisted mockery of honoring the anniversary (of) George Floyd’s death?” someone else wrote. “I honestly don’t think this administration cares at all about Harambe. Everything they do has an agenda.”
Additionally, critics mentioned the deaths that have occurred as a result of President Donald Trump’s war against Iran. One critic called the post “abhorrent,” and another told the White House’s social media managers to “grow up.”
Someone else pointed out that while Harambe’s death was “truly devastating,” they still questioned why the White House prioritized it. They wrote, “How TF does he get a more thoughtful and compassionate post than those who have lost their lives serving who should have been honored on Memorial Day? Or the many different tragedies that have occurred during this presidency??”
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