White House’s “Trump-As-Superman” Meme Draws Political Response

The White House meme follows what has been a week of MAGA commentators and others on the right attacking Gunn’s recent comments. In an interview, the writer-director told The Times of London, “I mean, Superman is the story of America. An immigrant that came from other places and populated the country, but for me it is mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost.”

That reference to Superman being an immigrant has been enough to get figures like Ben Shapiro and Jesse Watters claiming that Superman has “gone woke,” even though it is not clear if they have even seen the movie, which opens on Friday. Shapiro has a history of seizing on Hollywood productions to gin up the culture wars, as he did with Barbie in 2023.

The press office of California Governor Gavin Newsom, meanwhile, also seized on the attention, writing on X, “Superman was an undocumented immigrant.” Newsom has been challenging Trump’s deployment of the National Guard amid protests over ICE raids.

The governor posted a video of a raid on a cannibis farm in Camarillo, writing, “Kids running from tear gas, crying on the phone because their mother was just taken from the fields. Trump calls me ‘Newscum’ — but he’s the real scum.”

Rodney Scott, commissioner at Customs and Border Patrol, responded that “10 juveniles were found at this marijuana facility – all illegal aliens, 8 of them unaccompanied. It’s now under investigation for child labor violations. This is Newsom’s California.”

The governor replied, “California prosecutes child exploiters and traffickers. Trump tear-gasses children, rips them from their parents, and deports farmworkers. Priorities.”

So far, the politics behind Superman, immigration and ICE don’t seem to have depressed initial box office returns. Previews brought in $22.5 million on Thursday, per Deadline’s Anthony D-Alessandro, a record for the director.