The White House apparently decided that honoring Presidents’ Day (you know, the holiday about uniting the country around figures like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln) was the perfect moment to celebrate Donald Trump’s long-running vendetta.
On Monday, the administration fired off a social media post with Trump plastered on the cover of Time under the cheeky, menacing words: “I was the hunted, and now I’m the hunter.” The caption? “Happy Presidents’ Day, Mr. President.”
It’s a boastful rally cry for retribution cloaked in holiday branding, a centerpiece of Trump’s second-term identity. The man whose first presidency he always says was defined by being “hunted by these horrible people” has now fully leaned into the image of the predator. “This is more pleasurable. There’s no question about it,” Trump boasted in a recent interview talking about his current term.
From the moment he announced a second White House run, Trump made it crystal clear that seeking lawsuits, prosecutions, expulsions, and punishments against perceived enemies was not an afterthought — it was a pledge. “I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution,” he declared at a CPAC speech in March 2023.
And the administration hasn’t just talked about it — it’s acted. Federal investigations have targeted everyone from former FBI Director James Comey and ex-national security adviser John Bolton to New York Attorney General Letitia James. The Department of Justice even charged ex-CNN host Don Lemon and several others for protesting immigration policy — a move that critics argue is less about law enforcement and more about scoring political points.
Lemon didn’t stay silent, either. After his indictment, he fought back hard: “For them, the process is the punishment,” he said. “I will not be intimidated… I will fight these baseless charges.”
But the backlash to the Presidents’ Day post was swift and scathing online. Social-media users churned out memes mocking the message — including one mashing Trump’s face onto the hapless charred corpse from Weekend at Bernie’s and another juxtaposing him with Jeffrey Epstein for comic effect.
Whatever the administration intended with this holiday tribute, it didn’t look much like reverence for American unity or historical legacy. Instead, it broadcast a simple truth: Trump’s White House is now openly marketing the age-old American holiday as a backdrop for celebrating its target list.
