Following the Trump administration sharing a Pokemon Pokopia meme on X, Pokemon Company International has taken a stand against the White House’s repeated unauthorized use of its property. Sravanthi Dev, a Pokemon Company spokesperson, addressed the post in an official statement given to The New York Times, writing:
“We are aware of recent social content that includes imagery associated with our brand. We were not involved in its creation or distribution, and no permission was granted for the use of our intellectual property. Our mission is to bring the world together, and that mission is not affiliated with any political viewpoint or agenda.”
MAGA 🇺🇸⚡️ pic.twitter.com/8QRVP23zGu
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 5, 2026
The image shared by the White House reads “make america great again” written in the same font used in the latest Pokemon game, Pokemon Pokopia, and set on top a screenshot from the game. This is part of a larger trend, in which fans of the Pokemon series have used a font generator to create their own version of the game’s logo with custom text.
This marks the second time Pokemon Company International has issued a statement clarifying that the White House was not given permission to use its intellectual property. The first instance occurred last year, when the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shared a video of ICE employees detaining Americans set to the Pokemon theme song. While many fans called for Pokemon Company International to sue the White House, the company’s former legal chief, Don McGowan, explained to IGN why the company is likely to forgo taking legal action.
“I don’t see them doing anything about this for a few reasons,” McGowan started. “First, think of how little you see [The Pokemon Company International]’s name in the press. They are insanely publicity-shy and prefer to let the brand be the brand. Second, many of their execs in the USA are on green cards. Even if I was still at the company I wouldn’t touch this, and I’m the most trigger-happy CLO [Chief Legal Officer] I’ve ever met. This will blow over in a couple of days and they’ll be happy to let it.”
It is unclear if Pokemon Company International will take any legal action against the White House this time around.
This is merely the latest in a string of instances in which the Trump administration has utilized video games to promote their political agenda. On March 4, the White House X account shared a video featuring footage from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Last year, DHS shared an ICE recruitment ad featuring Master Chief driving a Warthog, with the caption, “Destroy the flood. Finishing the fight.” Shortly after, the White House posted an AI-generated image depicting Trump as Master Chief.
