Advertisement

'Find you someone who loves you as much as Trump loves sitting in that truck'

 
President Donald Trump pretends to drive an 18-wheeler as he meets with truckers and industry CEOs regarding healthcare on Thursday on the South Lawn of the White House. [Andrew Harnik | Associated Press]
President Donald Trump pretends to drive an 18-wheeler as he meets with truckers and industry CEOs regarding healthcare on Thursday on the South Lawn of the White House. [Andrew Harnik | Associated Press]
Published March 24, 2017

President Trump climbed into a big rig driver's seat, but the Internet was at the wheel Thursday.

Seeking support for the House Republican health-care legislation, Trump invited members of the American Trucking Association to the White House on Thursday.

"As he greeted them, two large trucks were parked in front of the White House," the Washington Post's John Wagner reported. "After shaking hands of ATA members positioned in front of the trucks, the president hopped into the rig of one of the 18-wheelers and tooted the horn a couple of times, then closed the door and waved to the news media through the window."

In the photos, he appeared to be having the time of his life. In one, he appeared to be screaming while clutching the steering wheel, as if speeding down a highway at breakneck speed. Another showed him clenching both hands into triumphant fists.

A third showed him wearing an "I♥(heart) TRUCKS" pin.

Internet comics quickly transformed them into online memes, and a Twitter moment was born.

Others, meanwhile, invoked various vehicle-centric films, real and imagined. The most popular was "Mad Max: Fury Road," George Miller's Oscar-winning film about a high-speed car chase set on a post-apocalyptic Earth.