Picture that sparked a thousand memes: Angela Merkel-Donald Trump photo at G7 Summit makes internet go crazy

On Saturday, German chancellor Angela Merkel’s office released a photograph showing global leaders in a “spontaneous meeting”. Apart from Merkel, present at the meeting were British prime minister Theresa May, French president Emmanuel Macron, Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe and US president Donald Trump. And as it often happens, at meetings involving Donald Trump — or anything involving Trump — he soon became the main object of the photograph.

And social media took over from there on. The photo became the instant subject of innumerable memes. Here’s a selection of the best memes that social media had to offer.

When everyone knows you ate the last slice of 🍕 but you refuse to admit it. pic.twitter.com/8oJhNh4KaP

— Vir Das (@thevirdas) June 10, 2018

The food reference came up in more jokes than one.  

I don’t care if you only had a starter. We all agreed to split the bill equally. #G7 pic.twitter.com/6vXsxiqdtX

— Vicki Young (@BBCVickiYoung) June 9, 2018

And again.

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Some saw it as art.  

Scratch that. Make it ‘many saw it as art’.

Others saw Trump’s time as a judge on the reality TV show The Apprentice as being enacted by far more powerful world figures.  

This looks like an episode of Celebrity Apprentice where Trump is about to fire Angela Merkel because her strudel marketing plan fell through. pic.twitter.com/ZLYlaDrNts

— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) June 10, 2018

Angela Merkel walked away with several plaudits for that expression and that pose.

I love German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She reminds me so much of my grandma "Say that stupid s--- again...one more time" pic.twitter.com/PHsYUAPrr0

— DPBell - Desiree Peterkin Bell (@DPBell) June 10, 2018

Not that she isn’t used to receiving them.

At the G-7 Trump is Merkel-splained pic.twitter.com/hfjANZ0rdp

— William Bain (@William_Bain) June 9, 2018

Which brings us very neatly to The Simpsons. Remember that show which actually predicted a Trump presidency? They made an appearance in the memes too.

pic.twitter.com/zNEw13pjku

— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) June 9, 2018

And again.

MERKEL: When I say "tariffs are bad" and press down on your foot, you smile and nod.
TRUMP: Check!
MERKEL: (Stepping on Trump's foot) Tariffs are a tax on consumers, and will hurt all economies.
TRUMP: (Stares blankly, then turns and whispers to Abe) I think she's talking to you. pic.twitter.com/z6l1phwYa2

— The Darkest Timeline Numbersmuncher (@NumbersMuncher) June 9, 2018