The White House removed the MAGA-themed game “Build the Wall” from its website this week after Tetris Co. issued a statement online mentioning copyright infringement.
Last week, the White House unveiled a series of video games centered on President Donald Trump’s agenda, which mirrored popular games such as “Tetris,” “Snake” and “Flappy Bird.”
The “Tetris”-like game had players stack “bricks” to build the wall along the southern border. The game introduction instructed users to “hold the line” against a “zombie border siege.”
Tetris quickly pushed back, saying in a post on X that it “was not involved in the creation” of the game and takes “copyright infringement very seriously.”
“At Tetris we believe in the power of connection and bringing people together, not dividing them,” the company said last week in an online statement. “To our fans everywhere: we love you, we see you, and we’re grateful to have you in our community.”
An internet archival version of the White House website, saved by the Wayback Machine, indicates that the game was still on the site as of Monday afternoon, but it had disappeared by Tuesday.
The White House did not immediately respond to NBC News’ requests for comment on the game’s removal. Tetris Co. declined to comment.
The other games, which still appear on the White House’s website, also mirror popular existing games.
A game titled “Rio Run,” for example, instructs players to “patrol the line along the river” and “pick up every crosser.” It resembles the popular game “Snake.” Another game, “Flappy Bill,” resembles the game “Flappy Bird” and instructs players controlling a bald eagle to “keep the bill in the air while flying through monuments.”
The White House also posted videos that mimicked content from popular video game companies in order to promote the new slate of games. In one video it posted last week, the White House promoted the arcade website using a modified version of the Xbox startup animation. In another promotional video, the White House modified the “Sega” startup animation and sound, changing it to “MAGA.” The White House also posted a promotional video directly mimicking the Nintendo GameCube startup.
On Tuesday, the White House also released a video on its X account mirroring the Nintendo game “The Legend of Zelda.” The introduction screen read “The Legend of Trump” and “Make America Great Again,” featuring the Nintendo game’s logo and font. The video also uses a song from the game.
Nintendo, Sega and Xbox did not immediately respond to NBC News’ requests for comment on the White House’s arcade.
The White House has previously released political content that used material directly invoking or altering popular video games and fictional characters from books and animated series. The Trump administration has often used copyrighted songs in the background of political videos, sometimes prompting artists to publicly disavow the White House’s use of their music.
In December, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted an image depicting the children’s book character Franklin the Turtle in combat gear, firing a bazooka at small, package-laden boats from a helicopter along with the words, “Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists” and “A Classic Franklin Story.” The publishing house, Kids Can Press, condemned the use of the character, saying in a post on X that it strongly condemns “any denigrating, violent, or unauthorized use of Franklin’s name or image.”
That same month, musician Sabrina Carpenter blasted the White House for using one of her songs in a video showing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detaining people. She called the video “evil and disgusting” and added, “Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.”
