The White House has joined in on the hype surrounding the upcoming Superman movie opening on Friday, July 11.
In a social media post on the eve of the combic book film’s highly anticipated debut, the White House social media team published an image of President Donald Trump in a Superman costume, replicating the promotional material for the new movie. The picture was posted on the White House’s Facebook, X, Instagram, and Truth Social accounts.
The White House social media team accompanied the picture of Trump’s face on Superman’s body with several mottos from past iterations of the comic book character.
“The symbol of hope. Truth. Justice. The American Way. Superman Trump,” read the text from each post.
The famous “S” on Superman’s chest was previously described in a 2004 version of the hero’s comic book series as a family crest and “Kryptonian symbol” for hope. In comic lore, Krypton was the planet where Superman was born. In a scene from the 2013 film Man of Steel, in which Superman is talking with journalist, and his love interest, Lois Lane, she asks him what the “S” stands for.
“It’s not an ‘S,’” Superman said. “On my world, it means hope.”
“Well, here, it’s an ‘S,’” Lane replied.
The motto, “truth, justice, and the American Way,” originated in a 1942 radio serial for the comic book character. It was meant to inspire patriotism, as U.S. troops fought in World War II.
The marketing material for the 2025 film Superman does not include the well-known slogans and mottos. Instead, it features the words “Look Up.”
There is another noticeable difference between the social media post and the original imagery in the film’s promotional poster. In the White House’s version, the “S” on Trump’s chest is not the current version used in Superman. It seems to be the “S” from Christopher Reeves’ version of the character, made popular in the 1978 movie and subsequent sequels in the 1980s. However, this is not confirmed.
The White House’s post drew mixed reactions on social media platforms, seemingly along ideological lines.
Opponents of Trump and his administration were critical of the imagery, with several calling it “embarrassing.”
The account for California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office tried to make a comparison to Trump’s political position and efforts to remove illegal immigrants from the country, with the fictional comic book character being an alien from another world.
“Superman was an undocumented immigrant,” the account for Newsom posted.
However, most Trump supporters who commented found the post amusing. This included former Superman actor Dean Cain, who portrayed the superhero in Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, which aired on ABC between 1993 and 1997, commented with multiple laughing emojis.
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created Superman in 1938. The first movie featuring the comic book superhero was Superman, released in 1978 and starring Christopher Reeve. This franchise spawned three sequels. Other cinematic versions of Superman included Superman Returns in 2006 and Man of Steel in 2013, starring Brandon Routh and Henry Cavill, respectively.
Superman will be the fourth version of the superhero to hit the silver screen. It debuts on July 11 and features actor David Corenswet in the titular role.
