If anybody else had tweeted a doctored photo of President Trump playing the fiddle as the new coronavirus spreads throughout the U.S. and wreaks havoc on the U.S. and global economies, the White House would probably protest vociferously. When White House social media director Dan Scavino tweeted out such a photo, saying Trump's next tune is "Nothing can stop what's coming," though, Trump retweeted it with the message: "Who knows what this means, but it sounds good to me!'"

Who knows what this means, but it sounds good to me! https://t.co/rQVA4ER0PV — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 8, 2020

Trump, of course, wasn't playing the violin over the weekend — he was playing golf at his private club in Florida. And since historical and cultural references to leaders fiddling are scarce, especially in times of disaster, lots of people on social media had no problem identifying what they believed the meme meant. Some were curious why Scavino tweeted it, however, or why Trump retweeted it.

After your followers google "nero" and "fiddle," they're going to demand you fire Dan Scavino for sabotaging you this way. — Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) March 8, 2020

Scavino is a federal employee — not a member of Trump's campaign, despite his normal posts — so maybe he's trying to warn Americans about the mood in the White House. Whatever it means, it sounds good to Trump. Which is another way of saying: Wash your hands thoroughly for 20 seconds with soap, and try not to touch your face. Peter Weber