There are numerous regional phrases for a submarine-shaped sandwich. One in all them is “hero.”
On Monday, as President Trump ordered 800 Nationwide Guard troops to descend upon the streets of Washington, D.C., loads of social media customers have been utilizing that time period—to not describe such a sandwich, however the man who wielded it.
A viral video taken in D.C. over the weekend reveals a person in a jaunty pink button-up and north-of-the-knee white shorts confronting closely armed federal officers. He seems, at first bouncing out and in of a slight crouch, his head swaying back and forth, trying spectacularly undaunted by the brokers throughout him. It’s unclear what he’s saying, although an extended video reveals the person ranting about “fascism” moments earlier than the confrontation, so it’s simple to think about what he might have been saying.
Quickly sufficient, the person pulls again his arm to disclose, extremely, an as-yet unglimpsed footlong Subway sub. He hurls the big sandwich at one of many officers, proper within the chest, earlier than breaking right into a flat run. The video ends with the extraordinarily assured, questionably athletic man seeming to evade seize, although subsequent photographs recommend he was later apprehended.
The federal takeover of D.C. is one thing Trump had been threatening since a minimum of August 5, after a former member of DOGE—Ed “Large Balls” Coristine—was overwhelmed up by two 15-year-olds in an tried carjacking. “If D.C. doesn’t get its act collectively, and rapidly,” the president wrote on Reality Social following the assault, “we can have no alternative however to take Federal management of the Metropolis, and run this Metropolis the way it needs to be run, and put criminals on discover that they’re not going to get away with it anymore.”
Contemplating he’d beforehand dispatched Nationwide Guard troops to Los Angeles simply two months in the past, it was clear this was no idle risk. Positive sufficient, Trump ultimately despatched brokers from the DEA, FBI, and ATF into town late final week, forward of Monday’s press convention saying a deployment of the Nationwide Guard and his taking management of the Metropolitan Police Division, placing its 3,100 officers beneath his direct command for a minimum of 30 days.
For a lot of Monday, social media customers shared surreal footage of DEA officers in tactical gear patrolling the leafy walkway of the Nationwide Mall as joggers jogged by. It served as a counterpoint to the doomsday dirge on conservative media, with one GOP senator after one other speaking about how unsafe and scary they discover Washington, D.C. The rising footage appeared to as an alternative mirror knowledge collected by the MPD exhibiting that violent crime within the metropolis final 12 months was down 35% from 2023, and at its lowest degree in over 30 years.
And that was earlier than Bluesky and Reddit bought a greater take a look at a few of that violent felony component—within the type of assault with a hoagie. That’s when the jokes and memes started.
guys it’s actually not humorous that the fbi agent took a footlong to the chest. cease laughing. it’s NOT FUNNY that an fbi agent in head to toe tactical gear tried to chase the man who hucked a sandwich straight at his bulletproof vest however couldn’t outrun him
— rax ‘levon honkers’ king (@raxkingisdead.bsky.social) 2025-08-11T23:20:39.021Z
Oh no! Is the sub all proper?
— Tim Onion (@bencollins.bsky.social) 2025-08-12T00:21:47.876Z
Most social media customers weren’t essentially cheering for the battery of cops, however quite admiring the assailant’s fearlessness and laughing at his alternative of projectile. Beaning an authority determine with a foot-long sub, in any case, appears extra like a way of conveying disrespect and making a spectacle than inflicting harm.
In any case, whether or not as a result of the person gave voice to their very own lack of respect towards the deployed feds, or simply as a result of it gave them a much-needed snort, customers on Bluesky and Reddit rapidly elevated Footlong Man to people hero standing—a kind of non-homicidal Luigi Mangione or way-less violent Waymo destroyer.
to each era is born a people hero who will completely channel the desire of the individuals. his weapon can be innocent, even laughable, like say for instance a shoe, or a footlong sub,
— alix e. harrow (@alixeharrow.bsky.social) 2025-08-12T00:35:35.213Z
Good morning fellow resistors and sandwich enjoyers
— Philo of Alexan (@philoof.bsky.social) 2025-08-12T11:09:12.924Z
Upon studying that the unidentified man had certainly been caught, Blueskiers imagined his arraignment—“Sizzling or candy peppers?” “Each, your honor”—and speculated about how a lot it could value to safe the defendant’s launch—“Bail is ready at $5 footlong.”
A few of them went a step additional, creating logos portraying the submarine sandwich as an object of resistance and its tosser as an icon.
— Christian Petersen (@iwantyoustudio.bsky.social) 2025-08-12T00:29:40.521Z
Justice for sandwich bro!
— surfer slacker stoner spy (@briansantacruz.bsky.social) 2025-08-12T03:26:35.886Z
— Sean Jacobs (@mictlan.bsky.social) 2025-08-12T05:20:27.445Z
In its virtually objectively foolish insouciance, the sub-tosser appeared to make the D.C. streets, and the federal presence now patrolling them, seem much less threatening. Some on social media joked, although, about how he might be framed to make these already frightened of D.C. much more afraid.
“sandwich primarily based assaults on our courageous officers are up 1000% p.c”
— jamelle (@jamellebouie.internet) 2025-08-11T23:15:42.858Z
These jokes finally proved prescient. By Tuesday morning, giant accounts on X have been scaremongering about Footlong Man, with some even describing his hoagie toss as rebel. Nevertheless, it’s the very imbalance between these now-pardoned protesters who beat cops with a flagpole through the Capitol Riots and the chucking of a sandwich that makes Footlong Man so potent as an emblem. He matches in snugly amongst different Bluesky memes about how “terrifying” D.C. is.
Like current episodes of the reinvigorated South Park and the newly canceled Late Present With Stephen Colbert, Footlong Man reveals the ability of with the ability to snort on the highly effective.
Not all heroes eat contemporary, however this one did.
