On May 4th, also known as Star Wars Day, the White House posted an AI-generated image of President Donald Trump dressed like a character from the Star Wars universe.
Trump, sporting oversized muscles and a sleeveless Jedi-style robe, and standing in front of bald eagles and American flags, holds a red lightsaber.
Anyone familiar with Star Wars knows that a red lightsaber is a symbol of the villains, not the heroes. This color choice for a lightsaber quickly drew attention online.
Highlights
- On May 4th, Star Wars Day, the White House shared an AI-made image of Trump as a Jedi with a red lightsaber.
- Some said only villains in the movie franchise wielded lightsabers in that particular color.
- Earlier, Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself as the pope.
- The image sparked criticism from the Catholic community, but his VP JD Vance defended him, calling it a joke.
The White House shared an AI-generated image of Trump as a Jedi wielding a red lightsaber
Image credits: The White House/ Flickr
In Star Wars, Jedi traditionally wield blue or green lightsabers.
Red lightsabers are wielded by Sith Lords—the villains who overthrow the Galactic Republic, massacre the Jedi, and establish an authoritarian regime.
George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, took inspiration from the Nazis during World War II when designing the Empire. He based their look and actions on how the Nazis behaved and appeared.
But some of Trump's supporters argued the lightsaber looked orange instead of red, referencing lesser-known Jedi who use orange in newer Star Wars content.
Others pointed out that red is the color of the Republican Party, possibly explaining the choice of color.
While the Jedi are associated with blue or green lightsabers, Sith Lords use a red weapon
Image credits: WhiteHouse
“Happy May the 4th to all, including the Radical Left Lunatics who are fighting so hard to bring Sith Lords, Murderers, Drug Lords, Dangerous Prisoners, & well known MS-13 Gang Members, back into our Galaxy,” the White House captioned the photo.
“You’re not the Rebellion—you’re the Empire.”
The caption indirectly referenced the legal battles over current deportation practices, including a recent Supreme Court ruling that ordered the government to return to the U.S. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man deported to El Salvador.
This isn’t the first time the Trump White House has shared a strange AI image.
AI has become a key feature of the Trump 2.0 era, with the White House regularly sharing AI-generated images.
One example was a Studio Ghibli-inspired image of an ICE officer detaining a tearful immigrant.
Hayao Miyazaki, the 84-year-old co-founder of Studio Ghibli, expressed strong opposition to AI, calling it “grotesque” and “an insult to life itself.”
Just days earlier, Trump posted another AI picture—this time showing himself dressed as the pope. This was published days after Trump joked about how he’d like to be the next pontiff.
The image was published on Trump’s Truth Social platform less than a week after he attended Pope Francis’ funeral.
The White House shared an AI-generated image of Trump dressed as the pope
The Vatican is still observing an official period of mourning for the late pope, with the post drawing criticism from social media users and cardinals who are in Rome for the conclave this week.
“There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President,” the New York Catholic Conference of Bishops said in a post on X on Saturday. “We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter. Do not mock us.”
Image credits: NYSCatholicConf
Cardinal Dolan, who Trump favors for the next pope, said, “Well, it wasn’t good,” when asked if he was offended by Trump’s post.
Filipino Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David took to Facebook to comment, “Not funny, Sir.”
U.S. representative Ted Lieu wrote on X: “I wish Trump would focus on lowering prices instead. The American economy had negative GDP growth last quarter. That’s what he should be focused on instead of making fun of Catholics.”
Image credits: tedlieu
Matteo Renzi, Italy’s former prime minister, wrote on X: “This is an image that offends believers, insults institutions and shows that the leader of the right-wing world enjoys clowning around.”
Despite the backlash, Vice President JD Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, defended Trump.
JD Vance defended Trump’s pope image, saying it was a joke
Image credits: The White House/ Flickr
“As a general rule, I’m fine with people telling jokes and not fine with people starting stupid wars that kill thousands of my countrymen,” Vance wrote on X, in response to Bush-era adviser Bill Kristol, who asked Vance if he was “fine with this disrespect and mocking of the Holy Father.”
Vance’s comment is a jab at Kristol, who was an advocate of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Image credits: JD Vance