Sections
  • Best of Washington
  • News & Politics
    • Washingtonian Today
  • Things to Do
    • DC Welcome Guide
    • This Week
    • 100 Best Things to Do in DC
    • Neighborhood Guides
    • DC-Area Events Calender
    • Washingtonian Events
  • Food & Drink
    • 100 Very Best Restaurants
    • The Hot List
    • Brunch
    • New Restaurants
    • Restaurant Finder
  • Home & Style
    • Health
    • Parenting
  • Shopping
    • Gift Guides
  • Real Estate
    • Top Realtors
    • Listings We Love
    • Rave Worthy Rentals
  • Weddings
    • Real Weddings
    • Wedding Vendor Finder
    • Submit Your Wedding
  • Travel
    • DC Welcome Guide
    • Best Airbnbs Around DC
    • 3 Days in DC
  • Best of DC
    • Doctors
    • Apartment Rentals
    • Dentists
    • Financial Advisors
    • Industry Leaders
    • Lawyers
    • Mortgage Pros
    • Pet Care
    • Private Schools
    • Realtors
    • Wedding Vendors
  • Magazine
    • Subscribe
    • Manage Subscription
    • Current & Past Issues
    • Features and Longreads
    • Newsletters
    • Newsstand Locations
Reader Favorites
  • 100 Very Best Restaurants
  • DC-Area Events Calendar
  • Brunch
  • Neighborhoods
  • Newsletters
  • Directories
  • Washingtonian Events
Washington’s Best
  • Apartment Rentals
  • DC Travel Guide
  • Dentists
  • Doctors
  • Financial Advisers
  • Health Experts
  • Home Improvement Experts
  • Industry Leaders
  • Lawyers
  • Mortgage Professionals
  • Pet Care
  • Private Schools
  • Real Estate Agents
  • Restaurants
  • Retirement Communities
  • Wedding Vendors
Privacy Policy |  Rss
© 2025 Washingtonian Media Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Skip to content
Washingtonian.com
  • Search
  • Subscribe
  • Menu
Washingtonian.com
  • Subscribe
Reader Favorites
  • 100 Very Best Restaurants
  • DC-Area Events Calendar
  • Brunch
  • Neighborhoods
  • Newsletters
  • Directories
  • Washingtonian Events
More
  • Subscribe
  • Manage My Subscription
  • Digital Edition
  • Shop
  • Contests
  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs
Sections
  • News & Politics
  • Food
  • Things to Do
  • Washingtonian Events
  • Home & Style
  • Editors’ Picks
  • Events Calendar
  • Health
  • Longreads
  • Parenting
  • Real Estate
  • Shopping
  • Travel
  • Weddings
  • Best of Washington
  • News & Politics
    • Washingtonian Today
  • Things to Do
    • DC Welcome Guide
    • This Week
    • 100 Best Things to Do in DC
    • Neighborhood Guides
    • DC-Area Events Calender
    • Washingtonian Events
  • Food & Drink
    • 100 Very Best Restaurants
    • The Hot List
    • Brunch
    • New Restaurants
    • Restaurant Finder
  • Home & Style
    • Health
    • Parenting
  • Shopping
    • Gift Guides
  • Real Estate
    • Top Realtors
    • Listings We Love
    • Rave Worthy Rentals
  • Weddings
    • Real Weddings
    • Wedding Vendor Finder
    • Submit Your Wedding
  • Travel
    • DC Welcome Guide
    • Best Airbnbs Around DC
    • 3 Days in DC
  • Best of DC
    • Doctors
    • Apartment Rentals
    • Dentists
    • Financial Advisors
    • Industry Leaders
    • Lawyers
    • Mortgage Pros
    • Pet Care
    • Private Schools
    • Realtors
    • Wedding Vendors
  • Magazine
    • Subscribe
    • Manage Subscription
    • Current & Past Issues
    • Features and Longreads
    • Newsletters
    • Newsstand Locations
News & Politics

Jonathan Swan’s Face Is the 2020 Meme We Needed

During his viral Trump interview, the Axios reporter's pained expressions said it all.

Written by Daniella Byck
| Published on August 4, 2020
Tweet Share
daniella byck, jonathan swan
Photograph from @SampsaNuotio on Twitter.

Axios reporter Jonathan Swan grilled Donald Trump on the administration’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis  (and a whole lot more) during an interview that aired Monday night on HBO. While the President’s answers certainly deserve public scrutiny, it was Swan himself who broke the internet with a face that launched a thousand memes. Here are some of our favorite takes from Twitter:

2020 is Jonathan Swan's face pic.twitter.com/71u4QHs0pF

— Mike Pierce (@millennial_debt) August 4, 2020

When you see a 528 sq ft studio is $1,775 a month. https://t.co/ag1eHRoGgu

— kevikev (@KevCoke6) August 4, 2020

https://twitter.com/SampsaNuotio/status/1290718807091224576?s=20

Me seeing my screen time report despite spending every waking hour on my phone https://t.co/RnHptpwTrq

— Samantha Ruddy (@samlymatters) August 4, 2020

pic.twitter.com/hyZ3RVxdi6

— Tim Duffy™ (@TimDuffy) August 4, 2020

https://twitter.com/jasonshevrin/status/1290635410310336518

https://twitter.com/Carlislegendary/status/1290743828899598343

The HBO's interview between President Trump and Jonathan Swan is meme material pic.twitter.com/HEfGA45KTX

— Xema Fominaya (@WofWendetta) August 4, 2020

pic.twitter.com/x4B1CTwZ8L

— Ben Rosen (@ben_rosen) August 4, 2020

Reading a recipe that calls for just one (1) garlic clove pic.twitter.com/iRkkKOm9aq

— Natalie Kitroeff (@Nataliekitro) August 5, 2020

Even Betsy Woodruff Swan, Jonathan’s wife, got in on the action:

Jonathan when I explain why clothes have to go in a pile on the chair instead of in the closet pic.twitter.com/gmSZIjDwG8

— Betsy Woodruff Swan (@woodruffbets) August 4, 2020

More: AxiosDonald TrumpJonathan SwanMemesTwitter
Join the conversation!
Share Tweet
Daniella Byck
Daniella Byck
Lifestyle Editor

Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Takoma.

Most Popular in News & Politics

1

MAP: Road Closures for Trump’s Military Parade

2

The Smithsonian Says It Will Decide Who Runs Its Museums, Thanks; Trump’s Parade Will Close Some DC Streets for Days; and a Maryland Bear Got a Ride to a Park in Virginia

3

Man Jumps From AU Radio Tower in Apparent Suicide

4

The Latest on the June 14 Trump Military Parade in DC

5

Two Days After He Ascended, a Man Remains on a Radio Tower on AU’s Campus

Washingtonian Magazine

June Issue: Pride Guide

June Issue: Pride Guide

View Issue
Subscribe

Follow Us on Social

We'll help you live your best #DCLIFE every day

Follow Us on Social

We'll help you live your best #DCLIFE every day

Related

LA Turmoil Is a Reminder That the President, Not the Mayor, Can Deploy DC’s National Guard

DC-Area Universities Are Offering Trump Classes This Fall

100 Days of Chaos: How Donald Trump’s Return Has Disrupted DC

Jim Acosta Talks About Life After CNN

More from News & Politics

Man Jumps From AU Radio Tower in Apparent Suicide

Unelected Storms Menace Trump’s Tank Parade, Kennedy Center Boss May Run for California Governor, and WorldPride Tourism Didn’t Meet Expectations

Guest List: 5 People We’d Love to Hang Out With This June

Troops for the Military Parade Are Sleeping in Office Buildings. DC Police Are Recruiting Outside.

Two Days After He Ascended, a Man Remains on a Radio Tower on AU’s Campus

DC Drag queens attend a Kennedy Center performance where Donald Trump was also in attendance.

The Inside Story of How Drag Queens Got Into the Kennedy Center to Protest Trump’s Appearance

Trump Got the Best Boos at the Kennedy Center, Musk’s Penance Tour Begins, and We Found Terrific Bolivian Food in Falls Church

MAP: Road Closures for Trump’s Military Parade

© 2025 Washingtonian Media Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
Washingtonian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Privacy Policy and Opt-Out
 Rss
Get the best news, delivered weekly.
By signing up, you agree to our terms.
  • Subscribe
  • Manage My Subscription
  • Digital Edition
  • Shop
  • Contests
  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs