HBO Not Happy Trump Tweeted ‘Game Of Thrones’ Meme Of Himself (3 Pics)

HBO, the network that airs “Game of Thrones,” is pushing back against President Donald Trump for tweeting an image of himself with the words “Sanctions are Coming November 5,” using the font from the popular TV show.

The tweet was in reference to sanctions the Trump administration would be levying against Iran after the president pulled out of the Obama administration’s Iran Deal.

But because the meme was tweeted by Trump (who most likely did not make it himself), HBO had to virtue signal. In response to Trump’s meme, the official HBO twitter account asked “How do you say trademark misuse in Dothraki?” a reference to the language of the fictional people in “Game of Thrones” known as the Dothraki.

The network on Friday released a statement to Talking Points Memo denigrating the president’s tweet. HBO said it never gave Trump permission to use its trademark and “would prefer” the phrase “Winter is Coming” not be used for politics in the real world.

“We were not aware of this messaging and would prefer our trademark not be misappropriated for political purposes,” the statement said.

Of course, this virtue signaling wasn’t present from HBO or the media when President Barack Obama appropriated the show for a political meme.

Back in 2014, the official White House twitter account posted an image calling itself the “Westeros Wing,” and featured a photo of Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and several advisors. Obama was photographed onto the throne from “Game of Thrones.”

HBO had no problem with Obama using the show as a meme. Obama was a fan of the show, and was allowed to watch season 6 before the rest of us peasants, so it’s no surprise the network said nothing of his use of the meme.

Companies can choose who can and can’t use their trademarks, but it’s pretty obvious what they’re actually saying by coming out against Trump’s use of a popular meme involving the show.

For the record, there is no direct translation in Dothraki for “trademark misuse,” but a poor, rough translation may be something like “zifichelat dirge” (to steal a thought or idea).