 "Twitterati makes #WWIII trend after US kills top Iranian commander Soleimani in airstrike on Baghdad international airport"){kind=logo}
The killing of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in a US strike at Baghdad’s international airport and Tehran’s vow of “harsh retaliation” in response on Friday morning caused Twitterati, nervous about the possible outbreak of conflict between Washington and Tehran culminating in World War III, to do what they do best: post memes, pictures and videos on social media and get #WWIII trending.
Some lamented the poor start to the new year:
January 1st 2020: This is gonna be my year! Positive vibes!
— Hmph (@bigyikesdawg) January 3, 2020
January 3rd 2020: ‘World War III’, ‘Russia and China’, ‘US and Iran’ and ‘ISIS’ are all trending on Twitter
Me:
https://t.co/yg5R695hIs
Some jested about avoiding or refusing the draft:
When the army said they enrolled you to fight for #WWIII pic.twitter.com/qodH2z5xo6
— Hamzah💨 (@Real_Hamzah) January 3, 2020
Others speculated, tongue in cheek, how Germany, the major power responsible for World War II, must be feeling:
Germany realizing #WWIII won’t be their fault this time. pic.twitter.com/3gvcgHhJ9U
— Abedh (@Abedhout2) January 3, 2020
#WWIII Germany be like : pic.twitter.com/4E7IHMruNL
— ✏️~Lolou~👺 (@PrezLolou) January 3, 2020
Many mocked themselves and their response to the trend:
Laughing at all the #WWIII memes and then realising it could actually happen pic.twitter.com/NE9nHFrl9s
— Cian (@AfcCian_) January 3, 2020
Some wondered if this was Trump’s way of getting revenge for his impeachment:
Trump getting impeached but making sure we all go down with him in World War III pic.twitter.com/G3Euy5SQKG
— Ryan (@thouartvandelay) January 3, 2020
And many, including this NYT reporter, remembered what Trump, then a private citizen in 2011, tweeted about his predecessor:
"There's Always a Tweet" feels flippant on a night like this. But given the president's mindset in this old tweet, it's hard not to wonder about his mindset in carrying out a drone strike to kill an Iranian general 48 hours into the 2020 election year. https://t.co/fFVtg4AhmP
— Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) January 3, 2020
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