A recent post by the White House has stirred a flurry of reactions online, and if you haven’t seen it yet, you might do a double-take.
President Donald Trump has already had a whirlwind few months, from his public falling out with Elon Musk to making headlines over foreign policy tensions and explosive remarks about Iran and Israel, the POTUS has certainly not kept a low profile.
But this latest incident isn’t about diplomacy, it’s about a meme.
The official White House account shared an edited image of Trump portrayed as Superman, coinciding with the July 11 release of a new Superman movie.
The post featured Trump’s face superimposed onto the Man of Steel’s body, complete with the iconic red cape and blue suit, under the bold caption: “THE SYMBOL OF HOPE. TRUTH. JUSTICE. THE AMERICAN WAY. SUPERMAN TRUMP.”
Intended to frame Trump as a patriotic hero, the post quickly went viral, but not without controversy.
Critics immediately seized on the image. Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia of California quipped: “He’s literally Lex Luthor.”
Meanwhile, political commentator Mehdi Hasan highlighted what he called a double standard, writing: “Just imagine the response if the Biden White House had posted something like this. But Trump is graded on some kind of never-seen-before curve, and this craziness is normalized.”
Social media users echoed that disbelief, with one person asking, “Are you serious?” and another calling the situation “beyond the satire of Idiocracy.”
Even Superman’s own origin was brought into the mix. Tech entrepreneur Mario Pawlowski commented: “Superman was an undocumented immigrant raised on a farm, a comic book hero. Trump is the total opposite: a Superloser.”
Still, not everyone was laughing or outraged. Many Trump supporters embraced the meme with enthusiasm.
One commenter wrote: “Trump isn’t just Superman, he’s a legend. The most investigated man in history and they found nothing. He’s untouchable.”
Another posted an image of the POTUS with the caption: “There will never be another President like Donald J. Trump."
The post racked up more than 38.4 million views so far, sparking a fierce debate across the political spectrum. Some saw it as a bold rallying image, while others viewed it as yet another surreal moment in modern American politics.
Of course, this isn't the first time the White House or Trump have shared a post that is utterly bizarre in the world of politics.
In the clip, Trump starts out seated at what can only be described as the world’s most patriotic piano, dressed in a simple suit while American flags wave dramatically in the background. Then things take a serious left turn.
Suddenly, Trump is rocking a red, white, and blue outfit, shredding a guitar like a rock god while cheerleaders — yes, cheerleaders — dance behind him. And just when you think it can’t get any stranger, the video cuts to him wailing on a drum kit.
Oh, and who could forget when Trump shared an AI image of himself on social media dressed as the Pope (but later denied that he had anything to do with it after the picture was met with backlash).
What the White House will post next remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure: people will be watching.