Actor Glen Powell is at the center of a viral series of memes on TikTok and X / Twitter based on an old GQ photoshoot of him as a typical U.S. president.

The photo was released in September 2025 as part of an interview with Powell, and now, it's resurfaced and earned him the nickname "John Politics."

So, where does the nickname "John Politics" come from, and how is the presidential photo of Powell being used as a meme? Here's what we know about Glen Powell's latest meme.

@zenyx.am1 john politics 😭 ✌️ #funny #math #viral #fyp ♬ original sound – Marvin Blend

What Is The 'President Glen Powell' Meme?

The photograph of Glen Powell looking presidential was published by GQ as part of an interview with the actor in September 2025. The image shows Powell in a suit in front of the American flag with slicked-back hair and a glossy face.

The photoshoot was meant as a satirical take on modern male fantasies, with other photos showing Powell as a spelunker, a bodybuilder with an exaggerated physique, a cowboy and more.

The photograph became the subject of memes and reactions the day it was posted by GQ. The most notable example is a tweet posted on September 9th, 2025, the day the photo was posted, reading, "He looks like a fake political candidate in GTA," that gained over 400,000 likes in a year.

How Is 'President Glen Powell' And 'John Politics' Used In Memes?

Glen Powell's president photo resurfaced on TikTok at the end of July 2026 and became a meme over the following days. The memes typically play off of Powell's goofy face and look to portray him as an "ultimate mogger" who looks better than all the other presidents.

Other memes attach funny captions to the image about friends making funny faces and trying to convince you to do something you probably shouldn't.

The meme was taken in another direction on August 2nd, 2026, by X user @arthurklover_, who posted it under the caption, "I'm laughing so hard at this photo..,,… who is this and why is he so glossy,,,.. is he john politics..???" The post gained over 250,000 likes in two days, attaching the nickname "John Politics" to Powell.

The nickname is likely a reference to the John Darksoul meme, a nickname for the protagonist of Dark Souls that has become a popular meme in recent years with countless variants using the "John X" naming template.

What Are Some More 'John Politics' Memes?

@kalza.cc What the fuh|| John politics edit|| Glen Powell…|| jugg style|| #fyp #xyzabc #jugg #glenpowell #edit ♬ original sound – 𝕶𝖆𝖑𝖟𝖆

@kyo1juro John Paul E. Ticks #Johnpolitics #fy #fye ♬ original sound – ✧

@ngadestructor #glenpowell #john #politicstiktok ♬ original sound – Obama

@n23iok Final John Politics post😢#CapCut #satire #fyp #john #politic ♬ suara asli – rimuru tempest – rimuruzamiliedit

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For the full history of the President Glen Powell memes, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.