The Donald Trump Axios on HBO interview meme originated from a viral 2020 sit-down between the then-President and journalist Jonathan Swan. The template specifically captures the surreal moment when Trump hands Swan printouts of COVID-19 data, resulting in Swan’s iconic series of bewildered and skeptical facial expressions. It quickly became a shorthand for disbelief and the struggle to process nonsensical or contradictory information. Users typically edit the text on the papers Trump is holding to represent flawed logic, while Swan’s reaction represents the collective confusion of the audience or the person being argued with.