Pokémon Company responds to White House’s use of Pokopia branding

The Pokémon Firm has issued an announcement pushing again in opposition to the White Home’s use of Pokémon branding and imagery in its political propaganda.

On Thursday, the White Home took to the social media website X and posted a picture designed to imitate Pokémon’s new recreation Pokopia, that includes the phrases “Make America Nice Once more” — a slogan utilized by the Trump administration. Within the background of the posted meme, iconic collection characters reminiscent of Pikachu, Magikarp, and Slowpoke may be seen.

Whereas followers have additionally used Pokopia’s font for humorous posts, the White Home’s politically motivated publish prompted The Pokémon Firm to reply.

“We’re conscious of current social content material that features imagery related to our model,” Sravanthi Dev, an organization spokesperson, mentioned in a statement given to the New York Instances. “We weren’t concerned in its creation or distribution, and no permission was granted for using our mental property. Our mission is to carry the world collectively, and that mission shouldn’t be affiliated with any political viewpoint or agenda.”

This is not the primary time that Pokémon has needed to distance itself from the Trump administration and its use of its IP. The corporate did so earlier than in September 2025, when the Division of Homeland Safety shared a video that used the Pokémon slogan “Gotta catch ’em all” over footage of ICE and Border Patrol brokers arresting people. One remark made by Homeland Safety riffed off the animated collection’ opening theme song, stating, “To arrest them is our actual take a look at. To deport them is our trigger.”

“We’re conscious of a current video posted by the Division of Homeland Safety that features imagery and language related to our model,” The Pokémon Firm mentioned in an announcement to the BBC on the time. “Our firm was not concerned within the creation or distribution of this content material, and permission was not granted for using our mental property.”

Nintendo and politics have a clumsy historical past. In 2020, Animal Crossing: New Horizons was used by Joe Biden and his workforce to encourage folks to vote for Biden as president throughout the 2020 elections. Gamers may work together with the Biden marketing campaign just about by getting into a code to go to Biden’s island. There, gamers have been greeted with placards studying ‘Vote Joe’ and details about the Biden marketing campaign. Gamers may even work together with Biden, both by talking with him or taking footage. A novel thought on the time, however one which was shortly prohibited by Nintendo releasing new guidelines that requested its gamers to chorus from bringing politics into its video games.

Regardless of calls from fans on social media for Pokémon to sue the White Home, to date, there was no official phrase or indication that authorized motion is being sought.