Donald Trump‘s big briefing lasted over three hours, but it only took a few minutes for the internet to zoom in on the row of guests next to him who looked like they were praying for fresh air — or for the meeting to end.
The longest on-camera appearance of Trump’s second term was meant to show the president and his cabinet flexing his influence over everything from the oceans to overseas economies.
Instead, it became the backdrop after single viral photos showed guests who looked unsure whether it was the air in the room or the president’s unique stench that made it hard to breathe.
The talking points of the August meeting bounced from East Coast whale conservation to the severity of the West Coast wildfires in Los Angeles. But what still grabs the internet by the collar months later was one frozen moment of Secretary of State Marco Rubio appearing to cup his hand over his nose — a picture that has exploded into a fresh round of jokes about the president’s long-rumored hygiene issues.
The meme economy went into overdrive, bypassing MAGA politics entirely and diving straight into the messy, comedic speculation that Trump himself has never been able to shake.
One person tweeted, “Trump is laughing at his fart, and poor Rubio is waiting for the stench to clear. RFK can’t smell a thing because of the white stuff in his nose.”
Another replied, “The price you pay for being next to Trump.”
A Facebook post from the time had people who went for the direct hit as many agreed: “Rubio’s face said it all.”
“Marco looks like he can smell something bad. Looks like a rotting vat of fat rolled up on a chair,” one wrote, while someone else added, “Rubio is getting a whiff of the stench.”
A sarcastic comment read, “Hey, Rubio, ‘Ohhhh that smell, cant ya smell that smell? Ohhhh that smell, that smell that surrounds you?'”
The stench may have been recognized by others as people online claimed Robert F. Kennedy and the entire row looked “queasy.” But Rubio’s reaction stood out amongst others, as many suggest he was straight-up overwhelmed by whatever scent they believed Trump was giving off.
Another person insisted Rubio wasn’t confused at all: “Rubio is trying to keep from gagging. Doesn’t anyone on his staff tell him to change his Depends? Apparently he smells bad and can’t smell himself.”
These reactions all lean into the long-running, completely unverified joke that the president has a smell problem — a rumor that’s stubbornly lingered online for years, earning Trump the nickname “Diaper Don” in certain corners of the internet.
The suspicion about his possible funk has only grown because of what they view as a pattern of awkward visual moments with foreign leaders.
Multiple photos show dignitaries leaning back ever so slightly or stiffening their faces when Trump steps in for a handshake.
One example often cited is the clip of Trump looking irritated as he waited for China’s Xi Jinping, who took his time stepping forward. The hesitation was brief, but social media said it was enough. Xi’s blank expression as he finally approached became another moment people twisted into the punchline that “Trump must have stunk.”
The same kind of commentary flared up again when Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met with him in Egypt, after cameras caught her expression shifting mid-greeting.
Then came the Nov. 10 Oval Office moment that sent conspiracy hunters spinning. President Trump presented Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa with a bottle of Victory 47 cologne — his own signature fragrance named after the election that made him the 47th U.S. president.
He even sprayed it on al-Sharaa and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani himself.
Online comedians immediately tied the gesture back to the rumor mill, suggesting he was trying to get ahead of the narrative by ensuring “they won’t smell Him” during the meeting. Given how long the hygiene jokes have floated around, the timing made the moment too rich for the internet to ignore.
But some people think the Rubio photo has less to do with odors and more to do with exhaustion from being connected to Trump.
One Facebook user summed up the overall sentiment with a relatable punch: “Marco Rubio’s face = all of us after three hours of Trump’s ‘very substantial’ rambling.”
And months later, it seems like he is still not in the groove of his position as head of the State Department.
The former Florida senator has been facing political backlash after reports surfaced that he allegedly told a bipartisan group of lawmakers that a proposed Ukraine peace plan pushed by the administration was actually a Russian “wish list.”
When the backlash hit, Rubio publicly implied the senators had it wrong — a reversal that only deepened the perception that he’s in over his head, according to Esquire.
Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota added fuel to the fire, saying, “This administration was not responsible for this release in its current form,” and adding that “it looked more like it was written in Russian to begin with.”
Whether Rubio was shielding himself from an unpleasant scent or simply drowning in the political chaos surrounding him, that single still image has outshone everything said during the three-hour session.
For many viewers, his body language said far more than any policy point — a perfect snapshot of someone quietly waiting for the surrounding “stench to clear.”
