The Brief: In an interview, Trump said of the Coronavirus deaths in the United States "it is what it is," sparking backlash, criticism, and memes.

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Trump’s comment on Coronavirus deaths that “it is what it is” led to memes denouncing the flippancy of his statement and stressing the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. In an “Axios on HBO” interview with Jonathan Swan that aired on August 3, Trump made a number of questionable statements including saying that he wished alleged child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell “well” and downplaying the Coronavirus outbreak in the U.S.

Many people responded to Trump’s interview with criticism and memes. In particular, the phrase “it is what it is” stuck and the hashtag #ItIsWhatItIs was trending on Twitter on August 4. One popular meme format to emerge from the interview features Jonathan Swan’s bewildered and frustrated facial expressions from when Trump made outrageous comments and disputed documented facts.

Apparently “it is what it is” is one of Trump’s go-to ways of characterizing Coronavirus deaths.

Trump’s comments were reminiscent of Vanessa Hudgens’ “yeah people are gonna die which is terrible…but like inevitable?” Instagram Live debacle.

“It is what it is” sounds like another insensitive tagline that Melania Trump might wear on her coat…

The pre-existing meme relevance of “it isss what it isss” wasn’t lost on those who are extremely online πŸ‘ πŸ‘„ πŸ‘