40 Presidential Jokes: The 2016 “Deplorables & The Great Disruption” Edition

In 2016, the American Presidency stopped being a political office and started being a 24/7 global reality show. It was the year when “The Polls” were wrong, “The Wall” was the theme, and a billionaire from Queens convinced the middle of the country that he was their ultimate “Blue-Collar Billionaire.”

The 2016 Executive Top 10: “Rallies & Red Hats”

1. The Election Night Shock: Why did the pollsters go into hiding in November? Because they realized that “99% certainty” in 2016 was about as reliable as a weather forecast in a hurricane.
2. The “Basket of Deplorables” Quote: Why was Hillary’s comment a disaster? Because she realized too late that calling half of your audience “Deplorable” is a great way to make sure they all show up to vote against you.
3. The “Locker Room Talk” Defense: Why was the Access Hollywood tape a 2016 milestone? Because it proved that in 2016, a “Political Death Sentence” was actually just a three-day news cycle.
4. The Brexit Connection: Why was the UK vote important for the White House? Because it was a “Warning Light” on the dashboard that said, “People are tired of the experts,” but Washington forgot to check the oil.
5. The “Mic Drop” White House Correspondents’ Dinner: Why did Obama drop the microphone? Because he knew that whatever happened in 2016, he wouldn’t be the one who had to try to pick it back up.
6. The “Bad Hombres” & “Nasty Woman” Debates: Why were the 2016 debates so quotable? Because it was the first time a Presidential debate felt less like a policy discussion and more like a high-stakes Twitter argument.
7. The Pokemon Go Craze: Why did Hillary say “Pokemon Go to the polls”? To prove that nothing makes a candidate look more “In Touch” than making a pun about a game they clearly don’t understand.
8. The “Drain the Swamp” Slogan: Why did it work? Because in 2016, Americans were so tired of the “Swamp” that they were willing to hire a guy who specialized in “Luxury Gold-Plated Ponds” to fix it.
9. The Cubs World Series Win: Why was it a sign for 2016? Because once the Cubs won the World Series after 108 years, the universe decided that “Impossible Outcomes” were the only thing on the menu.
10. The “Big League” (Bigly) Speech: Why did everyone argue about what Trump said? Because in 2016, the “Words” didn’t matter as much as the “Vibe”—and the vibe was “Huge.”

The Full 2016 Presidential Jokes Archive

11. The Bernie Sanders “Bird” Moment: Why did the bird land on Bernie’s podium? To show that in 2016, even Mother Nature was tired of the “Establishment” candidates.
12. The “Bernie or Bust” Movement: Why were his supporters so loyal? Because in 2016, “Free College” sounded a lot better than “Another Four Years of Incremental Progress.”
13. The FBI Email Reopening (Comey Letter): Why was the timing so bad? Because “October Surprise” is a tradition, but a “November 1st Surprise” is just cruel.
14. The “Little Marco” and “Lyin’ Ted” Nicknames: Why were they so effective? Because Trump realized that a “Mean Nickname” sticks better than a 50-page white paper on tax reform.
15. The Harambe Meme Legacy: Why was a gorilla a 2016 icon? Because in a year of political chaos, “Dicks out for Harambe” was the only thing the internet could agree on.
16. The “I’m With Her” vs. “Make America Great Again”: Why did MAGA win? Because “Future Hope” usually beats “Present Status” when the middle of the country is feeling left behind.
17. The Mannequin Challenge: Why did the Clinton campaign do it? To show they were “cool,” while the voters were busy “moving” toward the other guy.
18. The Leo DiCaprio Oscar Win: Why did it happen in 2016? To prove that if Leo can finally win an Oscar, anything—literally anything—can happen in America.
19. The Stranger Things Premiere: Why did it resonate? Because everyone in 2016 felt like they were stuck in the “Upside Down” where the rules of reality didn’t apply.
20. The “Fly on Mike Pence’s Head” (Preview): Why were the VP debates so quiet? Because compared to the main event, Tim Kaine and Mike Pence felt like a very polite Sunday school meeting.
21. The Ghostbusters Reboot Backlash: Why was it political? Because in 2016, even a movie about “Catching Ghosts” became a battlefield for the “Culture War.”
22. The “Russia, if you’re listening” Quote: Why was it a scandal? Because it was the first time a candidate asked a foreign power for “Tech Support” during a live press conference.
23. The Zika Virus Scare: Why was the White House concerned? To remind us that while we were fighting over “Walls,” nature was busy sending “Mosquitoes” across the border.
24. The “Delete Your Account” Tweet: Why did Hillary tweet that at Trump? Because in 2016, a “Sick Burn” on Twitter was considered a major foreign policy move.
25. The Hodor “Hold the Door” Episode: Why did America cry? Because “Holding the Door” for the next administration was starting to feel like a very heavy job for the Democrats.
26. The “Hamilton” Cast Message to Pence: Why was Trump mad? Because he believed that “The Theater” should be a “Safe Space,” unless he’s the one on the stage.
27. The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Explosions: Why were they banned from planes? To prove that “Modern Technology” and “Meltdowns” were the two biggest themes of 2016.
28. The “No Puppet, You’re the Puppet” Debate: Why was it a 2016 classic? Because it was the peak of “I know you are, but what am I?” diplomacy.
29. The “Pizzagate” Conspiracy: Why did people believe it? Because in 2016, “Alternative Facts” were much tastier than “Actual Evidence.”
30. The Bottle Flip Challenge: Why was everyone doing it? Because “Flipping a Bottle” was more stable and predictable than the 2016 stock market.
31. The “Taco Bowls” Photo: Why did Trump tweet it? To show that his “Love for Hispanics” was as deep as a fried tortilla shell in Trump Tower.
32. The “Ken Bone” Sensation: Why did a guy in a red sweater become a star? Because in 2016, we were all desperate for a “Regular Person” who just wanted to talk about energy policy.
33. The Hillary “Fainting” Incident: Why was the 9/11 memorial video a problem? Because in 2016, “Health” was a conspiracy theory until it was a cell phone video.
34. The “Rigged Election” Talk: Why did it start before the vote? To make sure that no matter who won, everyone would be “Correctly Angry” for the next four years.
35. The Final Obama State of the Union: Why was it so optimistic? Because he wanted to remind us that “The Bridge to the 21st Century” was still there, even if we were currently driving off the side.
36. The Rogue One Premiere: Why was it the movie of the year? Because a story about a “Desperate Rebellion” felt very familiar to everyone watching the campaign.
37. The “Blue Wall” Crumbling: Why was Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin a shock? Because the Democrats forgot that “Walls” can also fall down from the inside.
38. The “Fake News” Birth: Why did the term start in 2016? Because we realized that a “Teenager in Macedonia” could influence an election faster than the New York Times.
39. The “Drain the Swamp” (Reality): Why was the Cabinet being picked from Wall Street? To show that the “Swamp” just needed a more “High-End” class of water.
40. The Final 2016 Vibe: Why was it “Stunned”? Because we ended the year with a President-elect nobody expected, a country more divided than a “Twitter Thread,” and the realization that the 20th century was officially dead.