The Trump administration sparked outrage after using a light-hearted Jet2holidays meme to promote deportation flights.
Featured VideoJet2holidays’ catchy commercial is voiced by British actress Zoë Lister and set to Jess Glynne’s upbeat “Hold My Hand.” Since the advertisement came out, it has taken over TikTok as a trendy meme.
Originally, users embraced the sound to share funny video clips of vacation disasters. The ad’s signature lines, “nothing beats a Jet2 holiday” and “£50 per person…that’s £200 off for a family of four,” became instantly recognizable online.
From TikTok trend to callous political meme
Celebrities such as Jeff Goldblum even jumped on the trend. Additionally, Jet2 sponsored an LGBTQ pride festival in Leeds. At the event, Lister shared the stage with drag performers who held signs saying, “Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday.”
AdvertisementLister has made other live appearances since becoming a meme, including a festival performance with Glynne herself, where they recreated the viral sound in person.
However, the mood around the meme shifted sharply on Tuesday night. The Trump White House X account posted a clip of people who had been detained by ICE boarding a deportation flight, accompanied by the Jet2 audio. The caption read, “When ICE books you a one-way Jet2 holiday to deportation. ✈️🎶 Nothing beats it!”
Though clearly intended as a joke, the pairing of cheerful music and branding with a grim reality didn’t sit well with many viewers. Just like the White House account’s other attempts to post memes, this joke once again fell flat.
AdvertisementZoë Lister and the internet respond
Public reaction to the use of the viral sound to promote deportations was swift and overwhelmingly negative. On X, folks condemned the video as “vile” and “shameful.” Some questioned the ethics of using a holiday jingle to mask the harshness of deportation. One comment summed up the mood, tweeting, “Our country is an embarrassment posting s*** like this.”
“Sorry, but social media has ruined politics. Is anything serious anymore? This is vile. These are people,” @responsiblerai tweeted.
AdvertisementEven more notably, Zoë Lister herself responded. Posting to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday, she asked, “What can be done about @WhiteHouse using @Jet2Pics sound and my voiceover to promote their nasty agenda?”
Though memes often evolve in unpredictable ways, this use of the Jet2 sound crossed a line for many. While the internet is no stranger to edgy humor, critics argued that this instance weaponized a feel-good trend to distract from serious government policy.
AdvertisementZoë Lister did not respond immediately to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via Instagram DM.
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