White House Pokémon Meme Sparks Backlash

0:00On March 7th, the White House social media team recently shared a meme on X using the font and characters from Nintendo's new Pokémon game to say, America Great Again. This tapped into a popular trend among gamers, but it featured well-known figures like Pikachu without permission. The Pokémon company quickly responded with a statement clarifying they had no involvement in the post and did not grab rights to use their intellectual property. They stressed their goal is to unite people, not tie into any political message. This marched the second time they've had to address White House content. Back in September, the Department of Homeland Security posted a video with the Pokémon theme song and images of immigrants styled as Pokémon cards, followed by a customs and border protection image of Pikachu as a recruit. Gamers have pushed back hard online, upset over the casual use of game elements for serious topics like immigration enforcement and recent strikes on, Iran targets, many see it as tone deaf amid rising costs from the conflict.

1:04Meanwhile, the account has also pulled from gains like Call of Duty for bombing highlight reels and a grand theft auto meme for more Iran footage. Adding to a pattern that's drawing scrutiny from fans and companies alike.