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Published Mar 6, 2026, 7:33 AM EST
The Pokémon rights holder has broken its silence over MAGA's use of its brand
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The Pokémon Company has issued a statement pushing back against the White House's use of Pokémon branding and imagery in its political propaganda.
On Thursday, the White House took to the social media website X and posted an image designed to mimic Pokémon's new game Pokopia, featuring the words "Make America Great Again" — a slogan used by the Trump administration. In the background of the posted meme, iconic series characters such as Pikachu, Magikarp, and Slowpoke can be seen.
While fans have also used Pokopia's font for funny posts, the White House's politically motivated post prompted The Pokémon Company to respond.
"We are aware of recent social content that includes imagery associated with our brand," Sravanthi Dev, a company spokesperson, said in a statement given to the New York Times. "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."
This isn't the first time that Pokémon has had to distance itself from the Trump administration and its use of its IP. The company did so before in September 2025, when the Department of Homeland Security shared a video that used the Pokémon slogan "Gotta catch 'em all" over footage of ICE and Border Patrol agents arresting individuals. One comment made by Homeland Security riffed off the animated series' opening theme song, stating, "To arrest them is our real test. To deport them is our cause."
"We are aware of a recent video posted by the Department of Homeland Security that includes imagery and language associated with our brand," The Pokémon Company said in a statement to the BBC at the time. "Our company was not involved in the creation or distribution of this content, and permission was not granted for the use of our intellectual property."
Image: Game Freak/Omega Force, The Pokémon Company/Nintendo via PolygonNintendo and politics have an awkward history. In 2020, Animal Crossing: New Horizons was used by Joe Biden and his team to encourage people to vote for Biden as president during the 2020 elections. Players could interact with the Biden campaign virtually by entering a code to visit Biden's island. There, players were greeted with placards reading 'Vote Joe' and information about the Biden campaign. Players could even interact with Biden, either by speaking with him or taking pictures. A novel idea at the time, but one that was quickly prohibited by Nintendo releasing new guidelines that asked its players to refrain from bringing politics into its games.
Despite calls from fans on social media for Pokémon to sue the White House, so far, there has been no official word or indication that legal action is being sought.
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