Joe Biden Sniffing Idaho? The Bizarre Map Meme Explained

He may have been comfortably beaten by Donald Trump in Idaho in the 2020 election, but President Joe Biden could still have a nose for opportunities in the Gem State, according to a meme that has resurfaced since he took over the Oval Office.

This time last year, people on social media started to remark upon the shape of the frontiers on a political map of the northwestern United States.

Some noted that the line delineating Montana—which Trump also won—from Idaho, resembles the profile of the Democratic president. It gave the illusion that the head of state's head, was, well, in another state.

It's not the first presidential visage to grace a landscape—after all Mount Rushmore is in Montana's neighbor, South Dakota, but it did spur people to take to social media to comment on this cartographical trompe l'oeil.

The comments started to emerge in June 2020, when Biden clinched the Democratic presidential nomination.

Accompanying some of the messages was a map in which the top of Biden's forehead down to his chin appeared along the line where the Bitterroot Range of mountains straddles the two states. His nose seems to be pressed up against the Clearwater Mountains, located in the Idaho panhandle, while the Salmon River Mountains appear next to his chin and the Snake River Plain is next to his Adam's apple.

"Does anyone else see Joe Biden sniffing Idaho?" said one Reddit post, with Idaho highlighted in red to accentuate the Democrat's profile.

Another Reddit post, this time with Idaho in blue and Montana in grey, said "Once you see Joe Biden sniffing Idaho, you will never see it the same again."

On Twitter, users posted images of the map, with variations of the same message.

"Now that I've seen Joe Biden sniffing Idaho, I'll never unsee it. Damn you Montana," John Cardillo tweeted to his 225,000 followers, which was retweeted by another user, who added the message: "Damn it ..MY EYES."

The meme has continued to bubble since Biden took office. In May, one Twitter user picked up the scent by writing next to an image of a map: "I can make it so you never look at Montana the same. Why is Joe Biden sniffing Idaho?"

Meanwhile, this week, the Facebook page of Raise Your Brain posted an image of the map with the caption: "Somebody said Montana looked like Joe Biden sniffing Idaho, and I can't unsee it," prompting one user to comment: "And Idaho doesn't look happy."

A different low volume action by Biden sparked much more social media activity recently, when a clip of the president whispering at a press conference went viral.

Last week, as he was selling the $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan, he told reporters in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in a hush: "Hey guys, I think it's time to give ordinary people a tax break. The wealthy are doing fine."

This softly, softly approach mimicked the one he employed during a White House press conference, where he gave whispered responses to questions about the infrastructure plan.