President Donald Trump invoked “Game of Thrones” on Friday morning, tweeting an image of himself superimposed with the text “Sanctions are Coming, November 5.”
The president was referring to his administration’s plan to reimpose all sanctions against Iran that had previously been lifted as part of the 2015 nuclear agreement. The Trump administration announced Friday the sanctions would go into effect on Monday.
pic.twitter.com/nk2vKvHuaL
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 2, 2018
The meme was a play on the well-known “Game of Thrones” phrase “Winter is coming.”
AT&T Inc.-owned T, +0.21% HBO was not amused.
“We were not aware of this messaging and would prefer our trademark not be misappropriated for political purposes,” HBO told MarketWatch in an emailed statement.
“We were not aware of this messaging and would prefer our trademark not be misappropriated for political purposes.” Statement from HBO
The network also hinted at Trump’s post on Twitter, tweeting on Friday afternoon, “How do you say trademark misuse in Dothraki?”
“Game of Thrones” actors also voiced their displeasure. Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark, invoked the show’s first season when the character’s sword-fighting instructor told her: “There is only one thing we say to death.”
Not today. https://t.co/Jg51mGHPO1
— Maisie Williams (@Maisie_Williams) November 2, 2018
Sophie Turner, who plays Sansa Stark, simply tweeted, “Ew.”
Ew
— Sophie Turner (@SophieT) November 2, 2018
Shares of AT&T have fallen 21% in the year to date, while the S&P 500 SPX, -0.69% has gained 1.8%.
