A typical reaction came from the side of the political spectrum represented by the president of the United States.
The Pokémon Company International criticized the Trump administration for using the company’s characters and images in political memes. One example is a recently released Pokopia image modified to feature the slogan “Make America Great Again,” with Pikachu, the series’ mascot, peeking out from behind the letter “e” in make. Pokémon spokesperson Sravanthi Dev said the company was not involved in creating or distributing the image and did not give permission to use its intellectual property. The company’s mission is to bring the world together, and it is not tied to any political viewpoint or agenda.
MAGA 🇺🇸⚡️ pic.twitter.com/8QRVP23zGu
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 5, 2026
The company has previously criticized the White House for using Pokémon images. Trump administration spokesperson Abigail Jackson described these posts as engaging and said they successfully communicate the president’s extremely popular agenda. In September, the White House released a video showing arrests made by U.S. Border Patrol and ICE agents that featured Ash Ketchum from the opening scenes of the Pokémon anime series. The video used the Pokémon slogan, “Gotta catch ’em all,” and ended with digitally modified Pokémon cards featuring the faces of people arrested by ICE and their alleged crimes.
At the time, The Pokémon Company announced that it was aware of the latest video released by the Department of Homeland Security, which featured images and text related to the company’s brand. The company did not participate in creating or distributing the content and did not give permission for the use of its intellectual property. The company did not comment on whether it would file a lawsuit against the U.S. government.
Hey Mr. Pikachu, big fan.
Question for you – why no response to articles like this?
Seems kinda like you ARE maybe affiliated with a political viewpoint, no?
Just sayin’ https://t.co/yBgoxM7b8z pic.twitter.com/LwE8yBAeBZ
— Kaelan Dorr (@Kaelan47) March 6, 2026
We choose you! pic.twitter.com/aMXVpDKdzn
— Kaelan Dorr (@Kaelan47) March 6, 2026
In response to the company’s statement, the White House referred to a tweet by spokesperson Kaelan Dorr. The tweet included a screenshot of a July 16, 2016, Wall Street Journal article titled “Hillary Clinton’s Campaign Uses Pokémon Go to Register Voters.” At the time, Clinton was running against Trump in the presidential election and had referred to Pokémon Go when discussing ways to appeal to younger voters. Dorr asked why the company had not responded to similar articles, suggesting that it might be tied to a political viewpoint.
The Pokémon Company is not the first brand or artist to complain about the Trump administration’s unauthorized use of memes, and the White House’s combative response is typical. Dorr subsequently posted a doctored image of Trump as a Pokémon card.
