HBO, series fans to Donald Trump: Stop invoking ‘Game of Thrones’ in tweets

We can’t be sure if President Trump has watched “Game of Thrones,” but he sure likes to invoke the HBO fantasy juggernaut on Twitter.

After the complete-but-redacted Mueller report on the Russia investigation was released Thursday, Trump tweeted a new “Game of Thrones”-themed graphic proclaiming, “Game Over” in the show’s distinctive font along with the tag “For the haters and radical left Democrats,” a play on the show’s Season 8 slogan, “For the throne.”

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Fans of the show were quick to respond.

“WINTER IS (still) COMING (for you)!!” replied @TheRealUhura, while @oballajohn wrote, “Please stop (ruining) our favorite show.”

“Dear Game of Thrones, please sue him. Sincerely, Everyone,” wrote @AngelaBelcamino.

In a statement, HBO told USA TODAY, “Though we can understand the enthusiasm for ‘Game of Thrones’ now that the final season has arrived, we still prefer our intellectual property not be used for political purposes.”

It echoed HBO’s statement after Trump’s first “Thrones” tweet from November 2018, in which he warned Iran that “Sanctions are coming.”

At the time, the network also issued a humorous tweet, asking, “How do you say trademark misuse in Dothraki?” – a reference to the language used by the show’s fiercest warriors.

The show’s stars were less amused at the time.

“Ew,” said a disgusted Sophie Turner, who plays one of the surviving Stark children.

“Not today,” wrote Maisie Williams, who plays Sansa’s younger sister Arya. That’s the response her character gave in Season 1 when her Bravosi sword-fighting instructor asked her, “What do we say to death?”

Jayme Deerwester, USA TODAY

Read more at usatoday.com