White House sparks outrage on Star Wars Day with AI image of muscular Donald Trump holding red lightsaber

The post, shared on the official White House X (formerly Twitter) account on Sunday (May 4), read: “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. You’re not the Rebellion — you’re the Empire. May the 4th be with you.”

The AI image featured Trump in a Jedi-style robe, flanked by two bald eagles and American flags, gripping a glowing red lightsaber. While it was not made clear which Star Wars character inspired the depiction, the pose and colour of the weapon bore a strong resemblance to Darth Vader or Darth Maul, both iconic Sith Lords representing the dark side of the Force.

X users quickly condemned the post, calling it tone-deaf and ironic given the symbolism of the red lightsaber in the Star Wars universe.

“Seriously?! You guys are the official account for the government, and this is the s*** you decide to pull?! You’re a laughing stock!” one user wrote. Another said: “He HAS to be compensating for something really, really small…”

Others pointed out the contradiction in labelling the left as the Empire while the image clearly drew on Sith iconography. “A red lightsaber signifies an aggressive nature, a desire to control and dominate, and a lust for power. It is a symbol of the Sith, of the Empire. Rebels would never use a red lightsaber,” one explained.

“How do you not have one nerd on staff to tell you what color lightsaber is good and what color is bad???” asked another person.

A viral reply from a user featured a screenshot explaining that red lightsabers are “a strong symbol of the Dark Side of the Force, typically used by Sith Lords,” associated with “power, ambition, aggression, and the desire for control… anger and hate.” He captioned it: “Makes sense that he has a red light saber.”

The backlash comes just days after Trump was criticised for posting an AI-generated image of himself as the Pope. That image, too, was widely condemned for being disrespectful and misleading, especially during the Vatican’s transition following Pope Francis’ death.