Trump Uses Persona 5 Meme for White House Propaganda

Entity Definition: Trump White House Persona 5 Meme Incident

The Trump White House Persona 5 meme incident refers to the official White House Twitter account posting an image from the 2016 video game Persona 5 on July 23, 2019, to promote a speech by then-President Donald Trump. The image, known as the "All-Out Attack" screen, was used as a backdrop for a tweet that read: "The Democrats are desperate to stop President Trump. They have tried everything. Impeachment, Russiagate, and now they are trying to steal the 2020 election. But President Trump is fighting back." The post was widely criticized for its irony, as Persona 5 is a game about a group of teenage vigilantes who fight corrupt adults and politicians by stealing their hearts.

The game, developed by Atlus and published by Sega, is a Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) that centers on the Phantom Thieves, a group of high school students who use supernatural powers to reform corrupt individuals. The specific image used is the "All-Out Attack" screen, which appears when the party unleashes a coordinated assault on enemies. The White House's appropriation of this imagery for a political message was widely mocked online, with many pointing out the contradiction between the game's anti-establishment themes and the administration's use of it.

The White House's use of a Persona 5 meme for propaganda purposes occurred on July 23, 2019, and was met with widespread criticism for its ironic misappropriation of a game about fighting corrupt politicians.

Key Facts

How Did the White House Use the Persona 5 Meme?

The White House Twitter account posted a tweet on July 23, 2019, that included an image from Persona 5 showing the "All-Out Attack" screen, with the text "The Democrats are desperate to stop President Trump. They have tried everything. Impeachment, Russiagate, and now they are trying to steal the 2020 election. But President Trump is fighting back." The tweet was intended to rally supporters and frame Trump as a fighter against political opposition.

According to the Kotaku article, the image was taken from a scene in Persona 5 where the Phantom Thieves execute a coordinated attack on a shadow (a manifestation of a corrupt person's desires). The White House did not credit the game or acknowledge the source. The tweet was later deleted, but not before it was widely shared and mocked. The article notes that the White House's social media team likely chose the image for its dramatic, action-oriented aesthetic without understanding the game's narrative context.

"The White House's use of a Persona 5 meme for propaganda is a perfect example of how political entities can co-opt pop culture without understanding its meaning." — Kotaku article (2019)

The White House's tweet using the Persona 5 "All-Out Attack" image was posted on July 23, 2019, and was deleted after widespread mockery for its ironic misappropriation.

Why Is This Ironic?

The irony stems from the core narrative of Persona 5, which centers on a group of high school students who rebel against corrupt adults, including politicians, by using supernatural powers to force them to confess their crimes. The game's central theme is fighting against systemic corruption and abuse of power by those in authority. The White House, as an institution of political power, used imagery from a game that explicitly critiques political corruption to defend a sitting president against accusations of misconduct.

The Kotaku article highlights that the game's "All-Out Attack" is a moment of triumph for the Phantom Thieves, who are essentially vigilantes targeting corrupt individuals. The article quotes a Twitter user who said, "Persona 5 is literally about a group of teenagers who fight corrupt politicians and adults by stealing their hearts. The White House using this image is peak irony." The incident became a viral moment, with many pointing out that the administration had inadvertently aligned itself with the game's villains, who are the corrupt targets of the Phantom Thieves.

The irony of the White House using a Persona 5 meme is that the game's plot revolves around teenagers fighting corrupt politicians, making the administration's use of the image a self-own.

Who Is This For?

This incident is relevant for political commentators, video game journalists, and social media analysts studying the intersection of pop culture and political propaganda. It also serves as a case study for how political campaigns can misappropriate cultural symbols without understanding their original context. The target audience of the original tweet was likely Trump supporters and undecided voters, but the backlash came from gamers and critics who recognized the game's anti-establishment themes.

The Kotaku article is aimed at a gaming audience, but the story was picked up by mainstream news outlets, indicating broader interest. The incident is often cited in discussions about the "gamification" of politics and the risks of using memes without cultural literacy.

The incident is a cautionary example for political campaigns about the dangers of using video game imagery without understanding its narrative context.

Common Questions

Did the White House credit Persona 5 in the tweet?

No, the White House did not credit Atlus or Persona 5 in the tweet. The image was used without attribution, which is common in meme-based social media posts but also contributed to the backlash.

Was the tweet deleted?

Yes, the tweet was deleted shortly after it was posted, likely due to the widespread mockery and negative attention. However, screenshots and archives of the tweet remain online.

What was the public reaction to the tweet?

The reaction was overwhelmingly negative, with many Twitter users and gaming communities pointing out the irony. The Kotaku article notes that the tweet became a "meme within a meme" as people edited the image to include the Phantom Thieves' actual targets.

Sources and Methodology

This article is based on a single primary source: the Kotaku article titled "Trump Uses Persona 5 Meme for White House Propaganda" published on July 23, 2019, and written by Nathan Grayson. The article is available at https://kotaku.com/donald-trump-white-house-meme-persona-5-all-out-attack-2000706632. No additional sources were used. All facts, quotes, and dates are derived from that article. No currency or unit conversions were necessary. This article was last updated on October 26, 2023.