The White House Is Now Selling Pokémon Cards (Seriously)

14 hours ago 3

Published Feb 10, 2026, 6:21 PM EST

Evan Mullicane is the senior editor and founder of Screen Rant's anime section. Having started as a writer for the Comics Team at the beginning of the Pandemic, Evan was swiftly promoted from writer to editor, and then from editor to lead of Screen Rant's newly established anime vertical.

Throughout his time with Screen Rant, Evan has made a handful of appearances at conventions such as Anime Expo and San Diego Comic-Con, and has interviewed some of the biggest names in Anime and Comics history.

In addition to editing anime and manga articles for Screen Rant, Evan is also a science fiction and fantasy author. In 2018 and 2019, his short story "The Demon's Mother" won honorable mentions from the Writers of the Future contest.

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A Pokémon TCG vending machine has been installed in the United States Pentagon, according to a new report. While the world's biggest media franchise may seem relatively apolitical, this is only the latest example of politics and Pokémon intersecting in strange ways.

The Pentagon's Pokémon Vending Machine Comes At a Time Of Heightened Political Tension

The Pentagon vending machine was initially reported on by Dexerto in a Post on X that showcased the Lucky Box kiosk. The machine prominently displays a First Edition holographic Charizard on its side, a card that could be worth up to $550,000 if it receives a top grade.

In addition to Pokémon cards, it appears that the Lucky Box machine will also sell Sports Trading cards, autographed jerseys, and other collectibles.

The kiosk was added to the Pentagon cafeteria on Christmas Eve in 2025, but it only gained notoriety after news spread through social media sites like Reddit and X.

It is important to note that, by all appearances, Lucky Box is an independent third party and appears to have no affiliation with Nintendo or The Pokémon Company International, meaning they almost certainly had little involvement with the Pentagon kiosk.

Pokémon's Vending Machine is Only The Franchise's Latest Venture Into The World of Politics

Of course, Pokémon and politics are no strangers. Notably, the Pokémon anime has a wide variety of banned episodes that were taken off the airways for sensitivity reasons.

More recently, the Trump Administration posted a video containing the Pokémon anime's theme. This incident was so infamous that even The Pokémon Company International issued a statement denying any involvement with the video.

While the Pentagon vending machine is sure to cause much less of a stir, it is still quite odd. Lucky Box isn't much different than a slot machine. Putting that sort of device in a place that conducts serious business, like the Pentagon, is not only strange, it's a potentially dangerous distraction.

It's unclear at the time of writing who at the Pentagon or in the Trump Administration approved the Lucky Box kiosk to be placed in the Pentagon cafeteria. While some might laugh at the thought of Pokémon cards being sold to high-ranking government officials, the vending machine's placement in a government facility is undeniably a strange choice.