White House Pokémon Meme Prompts Company Rebuke

The White House sparked controversy on March 5, 2026, by posting a social media meme that repurposed imagery from the newly released Pokémon game Pokopia to feature the slogan "Make America Great Again," prompting a swift rebuke from The Pokémon Company International.

Pokopia, a life simulation game developed by the franchise's creators, launched that day and quickly became one of the highest-rated entries in the series. Its colorful cover art and whimsical font inspired a viral trend among fans, who created memes using online generators to overlay humorous phrases. The official White House account on X, formerly Twitter, joined the trend by sharing an edited version of the game's artwork, which included recognizable Pokémon characters like Pikachu and Magikarp in the background, alongside the political slogan. The post read: "MAGA," accompanied by the image.

In response, The Pokémon Company International issued a statement through spokeswoman Sravanthi Dev. "We are aware of recent social content that includes imagery associated with our brand," Dev said. "We were not involved in its creation or distribution, and no permission was granted for the use of our intellectual...