What Does The Phrase 'Going Out Like Stan Chera' Mean And Where Does It Come From?

Ever since the pandemic, an obscure phrase has rattled around on Twitter: "Going out like Stan Chera."

From context clues, one can assume that "going out like Stan Chera" literally means dying, but if you missed the one day in 2020 when the phrase was part of a relevant news story, it's you could easily have no idea where this quote comes from. That's where we come in.

Who Said 'Going Out Like Stan Chera'?

As you may have guessed from the big picture on top of the screen, "Going out like Stan Chera" is a quote by former President Donald Trump, who reportedly said it in the days after he was diagnosed with COVID-19 in October of 2020.

The quote was reported on by Vanity Fair journalist Gabriel Sherman, who said that while the White House was putting on a brave face in the wake of Trump's COVID diagnosis, he was worried he might be dying behind closed doors, and repeatedly asked, "Am I going out like Stan Chera?"

Stan Chera was a friend and donor to Trump, and was an acquaintance with the President from Trump's real estate days. Chera died in April 2020 after falling into a coma due to Coronavirus complications. At the time, some speculated that Chera's death drove home the seriousness of COVID-19 to Trump.

Why Is 'Going Out Like Stan Chera' A Meme?

Trump had no shortage of memorable quotes during his time as President, but most have faded from public consciousness. This particular quote, however, is also very out of character with Trump's public persona, which attempts to never to betray fear or weakness. Some found it funny that Trump's thoughts turned to a billionaire real estate agent behind closed doors.

Furthermore, the longevity "Going out like Stan Chera" may in part be due to the relative obscurity of the quote.

Unlike most of Trump's memed lines, Trump never said this one on camera. It only appeared briefly in one news cycle before Trump recovered from COVID and eventually, the news fully zeroed in on the 2020 Election. This helped give it a "if you know, you know" quality among jokesters on Twitter who kept it in their back pockets to whip out at opportune moments.

It's unlikely that Trump's quote will ever become the sort of meme that racks up hundreds of thousands of likes on Twitter, but for that reason it will never be run into the ground, giving the chance to stick around for as long as Trump does.

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For the full history of "Going out like Stan Chera," be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.