Just in time for the Man of Steel’s big-screen return, the White House dropped a superhero twist of its own.
As fans lined up for James Gunn’s new Superman movie this weekend, the official White House X (formerly Twitter) account posted an edited version of the film’s poster — featuring President Donald Trump as Superman.
“THE SYMBOL OF HOPE. TRUTH. JUSTICE. THE AMERICAN WAY. SUPERMAN TRUMP,” the caption said.
Naturally, the internet had opinions, and they were mixed, to say the least.
“You’ve just turned Superman — a character built to represent hope for all humanity — into a propaganda mascot for one political figure,” one person wrote in the comments.
“Trump isn’t just Superman - he’s a LEGEND,” another fan said.
“How absolutely pathetic,” chimed in a third.
“Oh they are gonna be mad at y’all for this one 😂,” another user quipped.
“I never thought I’d see the day when the White House is just a joke. This is so embarrassing,” one commenter added.
“Man of Steel tariffs,” joked another.
“No… don’t please. No crossovers like this,” someone else begged.
The meme came the same day Superman opened in theaters nationwide and right in the middle of a political firestorm over what the character is supposed to represent.
Last week, Gunn, 58, told The Times of London, “Superman is the story of America. An immigrant that came from other places and populated the country, but for me it is mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost.”
That “immigrant” line was enough to send certain corners of the right into meltdown. Fox News dubbed the film “SuperWoke.” Jesse Watters cracked, “You know what it says on his cape? MS-13.”
Ben Shapiro also piled on, accusing Gunn of trying to rewrite Superman’s meaning — even though it’s unclear if any of them have actually seen the film.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom took the moment to make a jab of his own, reposting the meme and writing, “Superman was an undocumented immigrant.” A day earlier, he had criticized the 79-year-old POTUS over ICE raids, sharing a video that showed children fleeing a cannabis farm during a National Guard operation.
Meanwhile, the Superman movie is doing just fine. Despite the culture war noise, previews brought in $22.5 million Thursday night alone — a record for Gunn.