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---
title: Donald Trump Jr Democracy Dies in Dankness Typo Goes Viral
description: Donald Trump Jr. tweeted democracy dies in &quot;dankness&quot; instead of &quot;darkness&quot; and the internet may never recover from the impact.
canonical: https://time.com/5130384/donald-trump-jr-dankness-tweet/
author: Ashley Hoffman
article:opinion: false
article:content_tier: free
article:published_time: 2018-02-02T15:57:08.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:47:20.540Z
og:title: Donald Trump Jr. Just Became a Dank Meme, Literally
og:description: &quot;Democracy dies in dankness&quot;
og:url: https://time.com/5130384/donald-trump-jr-dankness-tweet/
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twitter:title: Donald Trump Jr. Just Became a Dank Meme, Literally
twitter:description: &quot;Democracy dies in dankness&quot;
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# Donald Trump Jr. Just Became a Dank Meme, Literally

<!-- video src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Fd5MuYYZ.m3u8" -->
## Video: President Trump on Nunes Memo: 'A Lot of People Should Be Ashamed'

[Watch (HLS stream): President Trump on Nunes Memo: 'A Lot of People Should Be Ashamed'](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Fd5MuYYZ.m3u8) (0:37)

![President Trump on Nunes Memo: 'A Lot of People Should Be Ashamed'](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Fd5MuYYZ/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2018-02-02. House Republicans released the full, un-redacted “Nunes memo” on Friday following months of speculation_


by 

[Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/)


## Ashley Hoffman


Feb 2, 2018 3:57 PM UTC

by 

[Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/)


## Ashley Hoffman


Feb 2, 2018 3:57 PM UTC

[Donald Trump Jr.](http://time.com/4975821/trump-jr-kimmel-weinstein/) tweeted out a typo Friday that could not have been better designed to go viral online.

Criticizing the media for its coverage of the [GOP memo](http://time.com/5128772/trump-nunes-memo-release/) on the FBI written by Rep. Devin Nunes, the younger Trump attempted to refer to the Washington Post slogan “Democracy Dies in Darkness,” mangling it in two ways.

First, he called it a byline — actually, the word for the author’s name on a piece — and then he mistyped darkness.

> [](https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/959090384814133248)

Dankness, which used to refer to cold and damp places, was later adopted by pot smokers to describe high-quality marijuana and then became an ironic term for viral jokes online that are past their prime. In 2016, [“dank memes”](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-dank-memes-that-are-disrupting-politics) about the presidential candidates became something of a cottage industry, adding another layer to the weirdness of Trump Jr.’s tweet.

“Ha just noticed the spelling. Honestly, if you’re going to make a typo that’s a good one. #dankness,” he tweeted later.

By then, the internet had already taken off:

> [](https://twitter.com/TheBrianPark/status/959094426512506880)

> [](https://twitter.com/Ike%5FSaul/status/959093595725860864)

> [](https://twitter.com/sara%5Fbee/status/959093588880748545)

> [](https://twitter.com/jdawsey1/status/959092252093112320)


> [](https://twitter.com/ashleyruuu/status/959113418652479488)

> [](https://twitter.com/morningmoneyben/status/959095235199500290)

> [](https://twitter.com/JDahmanIII/status/959094701629599744)


> [](https://twitter.com/SelimSeesYou/status/959118683233759233)

> [](https://twitter.com/alysonrmartin/status/959174518303436800)

> [](https://twitter.com/mdooley/status/959174647425232896)


> [](https://twitter.com/hereforthewords/status/959107165645615105)

> [](https://twitter.com/benjitheblender/status/959099923022172160)

> [](https://twitter.com/NicoleGoodkind/status/959096322795155456)


> [](https://twitter.com/UGITGUD/status/959162158293581824)

> [](https://twitter.com/GenePark/status/959095874163847169)

> [](https://twitter.com/BobAlGreene/status/959095473184428032)


> [](https://twitter.com/TheJewishDream/status/959091393628135424)

> [](https://twitter.com/MollyJongFast/status/959097746681683968)

> [](https://twitter.com/kylenabecker/status/959100690995077122)


Donald Trump Jr. social media posts have made headlines before, notably with his [Halloween candy math lesson](http://time.com/5005219/donald-trump-jr-halloween-socialism-lesson-reactions/) and [cookie cake trolling](http://time.com/5068912/donald-trump-jr-obama-cookie-cake/).

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