White House Zelda Video Draws Fresh Fire From Game Makers
The White House has shared a political video built from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, in which a character resembling Donald Trump runs around the game's world. Video Games Chronicle reported the post on 5 November 2026. The clip uses music from the game and visuals from the original Nintendo 64 release.
Ocarina of Time is an adventure game first released on Nintendo's Nintendo 64 console. Its visuals and soundtrack are owned by Nintendo, and using them in a post generally needs the owner's permission.
The post follows earlier complaints from other parts of the games business. In March 2026, The Pokémon Company International condemned the White House's use of its imagery, which included a small version of Pikachu. The company said it had not given the White House permission to post social media content with Pokémon imagery, as NBC News reported at the time. The company also disavowed a political ad that used the phrase "Gotta catch 'em all" and a Pikachu meme.
Figures from the Halo series have also criticised the White House for using Halo imagery in its political posts. Halo composer Marty O'Donnell ran for office on the Republican ticket in the US midterm elections and lost to the Democratic incumbent, according to the same report.
A separate episode involved Tetris. The White House removed a Tetris clone from its website, a copy of the puzzle game that imitates its design. The official Tetris account distanced itself from the clone and said it would enforce its copyright. Copyright is the legal right that lets a company control how its work is copied and used.
For a general reader, the pattern is simple. Game companies own their characters, music and names, and they decide where those can appear. When a political post uses that material without permission, the owner can object publicly, ask for it to be taken down, or take legal action. In the Tetris case, the White House removed the clone after the copyright holder made its position clear.
The Ocarina of Time video is the latest in a run of posts that have drawn objections from the companies and creators behind the games.
