Two weeks ago, I wrote an opinion article that examined the Trump Administration’s use of video game IPs, which included Nintendo’s Wii Sports in social media content tied to their War with Iran. I have observed how these mash-ups could create additional friction with the intellectual property owners who were already navigating trade disputes with the federal government. Unfortunately, the pattern has continued. On March 27th, the White House shared more AI-generated material that used another well-known Nintendo IP to promote its ‘Make Farming Great Again’ agricultural initiative, and that was the Animal Crossing franchise. It served as another example of the Trump’s administration using Nintendo‘s Intellectual property in official communications.
During 2018 and 2019, President Trump and several Republican lawmakers in his first administration were quick to call out violent video games as part of a culture that glorifies violence and harms troubled youth. If you haven’t already noticed, there has been a notable shift: the current administration is regularly pulling in imagery and aesthetics from video games—including recognizable Nintendo intellectual property in order to push its own policies, whether it’s splicing Wii Sports clips into videos about military strikes in Iran, or using an Animal Crossing-themed AI video to promote the ‘Make Farming Great Again’ farming agenda. Speaking of farming, the Trump Administration used the likeness of ConcernedApe’s Stardew Valley in an AI-Generated Image to promote the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act (January 14, 2026), which restored whole milk and 2% milk as options in U.S. school lunches under the National School Lunch Program. Keep in mind. ConcernedApe has not addressed the infringement, but the Stardew Valley Community urged him to speak up on the matter.
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Is there an endgame to the Trump administration’s repeated unauthorized use of video game IPs? From stylistic recreations of Backyard Baseball to direct clips and audio from Call of Duty, Halo, Grand Theft Auto, and Mortal Kombat, the White House has embraced a meme-driven strategy that borrows heavily from pop culture. While supporters see it as effective modern communication, rights holders and observers question whether this approach crosses into copyright infringement or simply erodes governmental credibility.
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Adding further tension, Nintendo has always been known to vigorously defend their IP in the past, and they are already suing the Trump Administration, the U.S. Treasury, DHS, USTR, CBP, and the Commerce Department for refunds (plus interest) on tariffs paid under executive orders that the Supreme Court later ruled unlawful (using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act). While that case centers on trade policy rather than copyright, the administration’s repeated unauthorized appropriations of Nintendo-related properties — from Pokémon imagery (for which The Pokémon Company explicitly stated no permission was granted) to Wii Sports edits in military messaging, to stylistic homages like the recent Backyard Baseball post. This may hand the company fresh grounds or leverage for a separate IP claim. In aggressively borrowing from beloved gaming franchises to fuel its meme-driven communications, the White House risks not only diluting governmental credibility, but openly inviting further legal challenges from rights holders known for vigorously protecting their intellectual property. It is also important to note, Nintendo has not spoken out about the Trump Administration’s continued misuse of their Intellectual Properties, despite fans and users tagging Nintendo on Social Media.
Animal Crossing is a social simulation video game series developed and published by Nintendo. The series was created by Katsuya Eguchi and Hisashi Nogami. The game allows players to play as a human who moves to a village inhabited by Anthromorphic animals. Activities in the game include fishing, insect catching, decorating, gardening, interacting with your new neighbors, and fossil hunting. It has been known for its open-world gameplay, humorous dialogue, hourly music, and use of the console’s internal clock and calendar to simulate real passage of time. Since debuting in 2001, it has seen multiple mainline entries across Nintendo consoles, plus mobile releases on iOS and Android. It also has three spin-off titles and a paid DLC for Animal Crossing: New Horizons called Happy Home Paradise, which lets you design vacation homes for the villagers. You can pick up Animal Crossing: New Horizons now on the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.
Source: The White House (1,2,3)
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