10 of the Funniest Political Moments of 2024

As the nation prepares to turn the page on one of the most eventful, unpredictable, and pivotal political years in American history, pundits are rushing to recap the year’s most iconic, historic, and otherwise memorable moments. But amid the year’s countless legendary moments, 2024 also had more than its fair share of laughs, gaffes, and comedic highlights.

Here are 10 of the funniest political moments of 2024.

Trump’s Shift at McDonald’s

Trump’s shift at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s was one of the most endearing moments of his campaign, yet it was also undoubtedly one of the most amusing spectacles ever seen in American politics. No matter one’s political persuasion, it was nigh on impossible to not don a smile and let out a chuckle as the 45th president bagged French fries and chatted with customers while wearing an apron over his signature white shirt and red tie.

Naturally, the moment quickly went viral, with photos and videos of Trump at McDonald’s dominating the airwaves and becoming the subject of countless memes. Perhaps the most iconic moment to emerge from the day was a photo of Trump waving through the drive-thru window with a smile, showcasing his unique personability.

Trump also used the occasion to jab Kamala Harris for misleading Americans about working at the franchise. “I’ve now worked for 15 minutes more than Kamala at McDonald’s,” Trump said as he handed out drive-thru orders.

Trump’s McDonald’s stint will likely go down in history as one of his funniest and most relatable moments—and as an example of why Trump is beloved by so many Americans.

Trump-Biden Golf Exchange on Presidential Debate Stage

Though the June 2024 presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden was chock full of memorable moments, perhaps the funniest was the two men’s discussion of their respective golf abilities.

“He can’t hit a ball 50 yards. He challenged me to a golf match. He can’t hit a ball 50 yards,” Trump said of Biden from the debate stage. Biden quipped back: “I’d be happy to have a driving contest with him. I got my handicap, which, when I was vice president, down to a six.”

Trump immediately fired back: “That’s the biggest lie that he’s a six handicap, of all… I’ve seen your swing, I know your swing,” he said with a smirk.

“Let’s not act like children,” Trump concluded, capping off one of the most talked about moments from the historic debate that ultimately ended up transforming the race and leading to Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race.

Biden’s “President Putin” Gaffe

Just days after his disastrous debate against Donald Trump, while Democrats and the liberal media were frantically calling on Joe Biden to exit the race, the president kicked off a series of high-stakes public events meant to reassure the public about his competence and ability to campaign against Trump.

But it all went downhill quickly when Biden took the stage to call up Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “And now I want to hand it over to the President of Ukraine… ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” Biden said before awkwardly correcting himself moments later.

Later that same evening, as Biden continued the fight for his political life, he referred to Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump”—yet another moment that quickly went viral and cast even more doubt on his ability to complete his campaign in the time it mattered most, while also delivering some of the most unintentionally hilarious moments of the campaign.

Kamala’s Rotating Accents

In some of the most cringeworthy moments of the year, Kamala Harris brandished a variety of peculiar fake accents on the campaign trail—drawing renewed attention to her lack of authenticity and eagerness to pander. At a speech at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, Kamala Harris invoked a fake Hispanic accent to her supporters, telling them “I love you back” in response to a shout from the audience.

Harris also regularly summoned a fake southern accent when speaking to African American audiences, eliciting fierce criticism from observers on social media. In many ways, Kamala’s rotating collection of accents was the perfect metaphor for her failed campaign, during which she haphazardly changed her policy platform and political beliefs depending on the audience and fast-moving news cycle.

Biden Wears Trump Hat

In another wild and outlandish political moment, on the 23rd anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Joe Biden put on a Trump 2024 hat while visiting a Pennsylvania firehouse. After signing an autograph, Biden took the Trump hat and placed it on his own head—a moment that resulted in immediate applause from others in the room and quickly went viral on social media.

The sidesplitting scene came just weeks after Biden exited the race amid speculation that senior Democrat leaders were forcing him out – and that Biden secretly held a grudge against Harris as his replacement. Needless to say, putting on a Trump hat did little to dissuade such speculation.

Trump Arrives in a Garbage Truck

Just days before the election, Joe Biden called Donald Trump’s supporters “garbage” in a live-streamed virtual event—handing Trump yet another opportunity to create a viral moment.

The day after Biden’s comments, Trump landed in Green Bay, Wisconsin for a campaign rally. But before departing to the rally site, Trump boarded a garbage truck displaying a Trump 2024 logo wearing an orange and yellow safety vest over his signature white shirt and red tie.

“How do you like my garbage truck?” Trump asked the press. “This truck is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden—and Joe Biden should be ashamed of himself if he knows what he’s even doing.” Trump later delivered his remarks in Green Bay in the safety vest—a sign of his relatability and enduring knack for showmanship.

Trump Fragrance Ad

During Trump’s visit to France on the occasion of the reopening of the Notre Dame cathedral earlier this month, photographers captured an image of First Lady Jill Biden appearing to gaze endearingly at Trump during the ceremony. “Find someone who looks at you like Jill Biden looks at President Trump,” one commentator jokingly wrote on X in response to the photo.

While the image was undoubtedly the result of pure happenstance, Trump didn’t waste the opportunity, using the image to advertise his new line of fragrances. “A FRAGRANCE YOUR ENEMIES CAN’T RESIST!” Trump said in a social media post with the photo attached.

“Memes” Manufactured by Harris Campaign

With Kamala Harris’s desperate attempts to manufacture viral memes, her campaign epitomized one of this year’s most laughable—and bizarre—displays of political phoniness. This trend was most notably seen with the campaign’s use of memes like “coconut tree” and “brat summer,” which the left frantically sought to translate into viral moments for Harris.

The “coconut tree” meme originated from a 2023 Harris speech when she recalled a story about her mother. “She would say to us, ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?’” Harris said before belting out one of her signature cackles, only to be met with awkward silence from the audience.

The “brat” meme, meanwhile, originated from pop singer Charli XCX (who released an album entitled “brat” this year), who posted on X that “Kamala IS brat.”

The left desperately sought to make both of these moments into viral sensations, but because neither of them made any sense, they predictably fell flat. In other words, as the saying goes, “the left can’t meme”—and their clumsy attempt to create viral moments became hilarious in its own right.

Joe Biden Wanders into the Amazon Jungle

In one of the most humorously symbolic moments of the year, immediately following a November speech in Brazil, Joe Biden took no questions from the press and abruptly wandered off into the Amazon rainforest behind him—leaving his podium, fading into the jungle, and disappearing among the trees with no announcement or explanation.

The moment quickly went viral on social media—and it’s easy to see why. Could there be any more perfect metaphor for the last four years?

Hysterical Liberal Reactions to Trump Victory

Donald Trump’s historic comeback victory was far and away the most earthshattering political event of the year—but in many ways, it was also the most comedically satisfying.

From the moment Trump was declared the winner of the race on Election Night, the corporate media, left-wing celebrities, and social media personalities erupted in tears and melted down in anti-Trump hysteria. Though the liberal outburst was widespread, leftists’ reactions on TikTok were particularly amusing, with legions of grown adults filming and posting their childish temper tantrums for all to see.

By the time Kamala Harris conceded the following day, liberal outrage at Trump’s victory had already emerged as a genre of its own on TikTok. One woman, for instance, filmed herself in her car hysterically shouting “No!” and “Why!” Another teary-eyed woman posted a video of herself maniacally screaming like a Braveheart casting reject. And a man posted himself shrieking in despair as though he were experiencing unbearable physical pain, among countless other similar instances of wildly disproportionate reactions.

In other words, in the wake of Trump’s victory, liberal tears were plentiful. But the irony is that once Trump is inaugurated in January, these same figures will likely come to learn that they are far better off in Trump’s America—and that their over-the-top reactions were wholly unnecessary.

By every indication, 2024 was a banner political year. And as the sun sets on 2024 and Americans prepare to celebrate the arrival of the new year, it’s both refreshing and necessary to take a step back and to embrace something as simple—and vital—as laughter.

Aaron Flanigan is the pen name of a writer in Washington, D.C.