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This Dystopian White House Tweet Is Becoming An Accidental Meme

Matt Stopera
·1 min read

Yesterday was a damn doozy.

Stock market data displayed on a large screen, showing a news broadcast about Nasdaq and Dow Jones Index fluctuations
Bloomberg / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Donald Trump paused tariffs on every country except China for 90 days. At the same time, he raised China’s tariff rate from 104% to 125%. The markets went wild, and, well, folks, that’s where we’re at. Things change by the minute nowadays. Nothing is certain!!

I don’t know who this is, but the image shows a person in a suit and tie speaking, possibly in an official setting, with a backdrop of curtains
Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images

The official White House account responded to the tariff chaos with this, uh, pretty forward tweet:

Tweet from White House warns, "DO NOT RETALIATE AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED," with 28.2M views and substantial interactions

You got that, people? DO NOT RETALIATE AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED!!!!

Person on a couch, surprised, with text overlay: "She's not a Christian!"

As this person said, "I honestly cannot believe that this is the official white house page."

Tweet by user reacting to a White House tweet stating, "DO NOT RETALIATE AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED."

Naturally, it has become a meme.

A character with a mask raises arms in a dramatic pose in front of tall columns. A tweet reads: "DO NOT RETALIATE AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED."

It appears you can use DO NOT RETALIATE AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED in a variety of relatable situations.

A person in a suit and red tie sits indoors, with a slight smile, in front of a blurred light-colored background
Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images

We have "me giving my dog a bath."

Tweet joke comparing dog bath time to a White House tweet: "DO NOT RETALIATE AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED."

"Me to my 4 year old after my 2 year old kicks him in the face."

Tweet by Joe Bernstein humorously suggesting parenting advice using a White House tweet: "DO NOT RETALIATE AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED."

And "Why does the White House sound like my toxic ex?"

Screenshot of a humorous tweet comparing a White House message, "Do not retaliate and you will be rewarded," to a toxic ex-partner

As @stacycay said, "Our president is a Batman villain."

Tweet by Stacy reads: "Our president is a Batman villain" with a reply from @WhiteHouse: "DO NOT RETALIATE AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED"

Anyway, here are the funniest responses to this whole thing:

Tweet by Rishika Baruah comparing White House advice, "DO NOT RETALIATE AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED," to her parenting style
Tweet from Peter Twinklage about a White House tweet promising a reward for not retaliating, likening it to a Gotham City mob boss
A smiling man is shown above a tweet from the White House saying, "DO NOT RETALIATE AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED."
A tweet questioning the author of a controversial message by The White House promoting non-retaliation
Tweet joke: User compares a White House tweet saying "DO NOT RETALIATE AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED" to a video game loading screen tip
Tweet comparing a White House tweet, "DO NOT RETALIATE AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED," to "The Sopranos" account due to its dramatic tone
Tweet by Michael Weiss saying presidential comments resemble "Saw" dialogue, quoting a White House tweet: "DO NOT RETALIATE AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED."
A tweet humorously compares responding to farting under the covers to a White House statement about not retaliating for rewards
Ransom-style text reads, "DO NOT RETALIATE AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED," mimicking a tweet from the White House
Tweet by user about cleaning cat's eye boogers; embedded White House tweet: "DO NOT RETALIATE AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED."
Screenshot of a tweet by Big Tucson Dad: "Me after riling up my cat before bed," with a White House tweet saying "DO NOT RETALIATE AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED."
Tweet joke: User humorously compares ignoring a referee's missed call to a White House tweet advising not to retaliate for a reward

And lastly:

Tweet humorously compares running a country to Regina George, with a White House tweet saying "Do not retaliate and you will be rewarded."

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