The Pokémon Company has objected to the Trump administration's use of its intellectual property in political memes, marking the second time it has had to clarify unauthorized usage. The company issued a statement after the White House posted a 'Make America Great Again' meme featuring characters from the new game Pokémon Pokopia, including Pikachu and Magikarp.

'We were not involved in its creation or distribution, and no permission was granted,' said Sravanthi Dev, a company spokeswoman. The statement emphasized that Pokémon's mission 'is not affiliated with any political viewpoint or agenda.' This follows a September incident where the Department of Homeland Security used the 'Gotta catch 'em all' slogan in a video mixing anime clips with Border Patrol footage.

The White House has continued its strategy of using video game imagery despite industry complaints, posting content featuring Halo, Minecraft, Stardew Valley, and Call of Duty. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson defended the approach, saying 'Through engaging posts and banger memes, we are successfully communicating the president's extremely popular agenda.'