President Donald Trump sent a vague message to the world by laying a poster of himself with Game of Thrones-style writing reading “Sanctions Are Coming” on the table during a White House Cabinet meeting Wednesday.
Trump irked HBO last November when he tweeted that same image of himself behind the words “Sanctions Are Coming November 5,” referring to the sanctions that would be reinstated against Iran on that date. The image was a clear reference to the hit HBO show Game of Thrones, whose tagline is “Winter is Coming.”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 2, 2018
At the time, HBO let the potential trademark infringement slide with a snarky tweet. “How do you say trademark misuse in Dothraki?” The network tweeted, referencing a fictional language used in Game of Thrones.
In a more serious tone, HBO reportedly told CNBC at the time, “We were not aware of this messaging and would prefer our trademark not be misappropriated for political purposes.”
Trump apparently didn’t get the message, however, as the meme is now a physical poster. It lay on the table in front of Trump during Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting, where the president addressed the partial government shutdown, relations with the Korean peninsula, and the stock market’s volatility, USA Today reports.
The poster’s purpose remains unclear. Eamon Javers of CNBC tweeted that “no one in the cabinet meeting addressed the Game of Thrones-style poster on the conference table or explained why it was there.”
Neither HBO nor Trump has yet to publicly comment on the poster.