Pop culture has been an inescapable part of the 2024 election season, and not just because of celeb endorsements from the likes of dog mom Megan Thee Stallion and self-described childless cat lady Taylor Swift. Whether you think it’s appropriate or not, memes and jokes have powered conversations around political campaigns throughout the year, and Tuesday night’s presidential debate was no exception. Sure, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump were the ones who faced off on stage. But judging by meme output, American Dad alien Roger Smith was the real winner. (Yes, even over Harris’s confused, very meme-able face.) During last night’s approximately 105-minute-long event, Trump accused Harris of wanting to perform “transgender operations on illegal aliens in prison.†The internet immediately latched onto the line, with one account tweeting that the charged combination of words was “just MAGA mad libs.†And what better way to cast doubt on the claim than to only discuss it in the context of fictional, extraterrestrial characters? Trans alien posts immediately began popping up across social media, with Roger and his many female alter egos emerging as a beloved frontrunner. Below, the best alien and non-alien memes to come out of the debate.
Roger that
The alien superstar of the night.
Honorable mentions (aliens)
A few other alien references abducted the internet’s imagination.
Honorable mentions (non-aliens)
Not out of this world, but still good.