The Pokemon theme song has been used by The White House, sparking backlash
A recent video posted to the United States’ White House official Tiktok page has sparked controversy… and condemnation from The Pokemon Company.
The video in question featured Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arresting people to the theme of the original Pokemon TV series, “Gotta Catch Em All.”
Edited into the footage of the arrests were clips of the show’s protagonist, Ash Ketchum, throwing Pokeballs.
The video finished with an image of custom-made Pokemon Cards featuring photos of real people who were arrested along with a description of their alleged crimes.
Backlash was immediate, with many people outraged about the use of such music in what many considered to be a confronting video to watch.
The Pokemon Company has since condemned the use of the song, stating that they were unaware that the video was being made and were not consulted about the usage of their intellectual property.
This was not the first time that artists have taken issue with music used by Donald Trump or his Cabinet, with artists such as Jay Z, Eddy Grant, ABBA and Jack White all having had to publicly state they don’t wish to have their music used in such a manner.
Other public figures besides music artists have found that their brand or likeness has also been used in such a manner, with comedian Theo Von issuing a statement via a post to X just days ago about audio from his podcast being used by the Department of Homeland Security.
‘Please take this down and please keep me out of your “banger” deportation videos’ Von wrote,
‘When it comes to immigration my thoughts and heart are a lot more nuanced than this video allows.”
Fans have urged The Pokemon Company to sue, in an effort to send a message, but the company doesn’t appear to want to take the matter further at this point in time.
