The Petro Poroshenko 'The Economist' cover meme originated in early 2016 when the then-President of Ukraine tweeted a photoshopped version of the magazine's 'The World in 2016' issue. In the edited image, Poroshenko’s face replaced that of Russian President Vladimir Putin among other world leaders. While his office later clarified it was intended as a 'New Year's gift' highlighting Ukraine's international aspirations, the internet quickly adopted it as a symbol of awkward self-promotion and 'main character energy.' Today, the template is frequently used to mock individuals who insert themselves into prestigious contexts where they don't belong or to satirize politicians who attempt to inflate their global importance through questionable PR stunts.