A controversial new White House post on Instagram and X is dividing Star Wars fans on social media. Some people say the post depicts Donald Trump as a villainous Dark Sith, while others insist it shows him as a heroic Jedi.

The White House suggests that Trump represents new hope, and in the Star Wars galaxy, hope is associated with Jedis. Its Star Wars-themed post features an AI-generated image of a beefed-up Trump holding a sword-like lightsaber and flexing his bulging muscles in a heroic pose. In the background are two American flags and two bald eagles. 

The post also includes a greeting that begins with “Happy May the 4th to all, including the Radical Left Lunatics who are fighting so hard to to (sic) bring Sith Lords, Murderers, Drug Lords, Dangerous Prisoners… back into our Galaxy.” It ends with “May the 4th be with you.”

Variety explains the latter reference by saying, “The fourth of May is colloquially known as Star Wars day among fans of the franchise. In celebration of the day, it is common practice to say, ‘May the 4th be with you,’ which is a play on words of the iconic Star Wars line, ‘May the Force be with you.’”

Opponents of Trump think the White House post shows the president as an evil Dark Sith Lord. Some say their proof is the red lightsaber in his hand. In the mythical Star Wars galaxy, red is the color associated with anger, darkness and power. It is also the color of choice for supervillain Darth Vader and his followers.

But the color of Trump’s lightsaber isn’t the only source of controversies and comments on social media. 

One commenter wondered, “Is this taxpayer funded playtime?” Another said, “Jedis are not beefed up. They have the wrong franchise. But ignorance is strong in these people.” 

Someone else chimed in, “He’s such a broken little man.” And a social media user who responded to the Fox News story about the White House brouhaha said, “How do you not have one nerd on the staff to tell you what color lightsaber is good and what color is bad???’ 

Trump supporters see the situation – and the AI image of Trump — differently. Some insist that the president is not holding a red lightsaber. Rather, the weapon in his hand is an orange lightsaber. But some think the White House deliberately chose red because it is the color associated with Republicans.

Headlines announcing the controversy included the following:

• “A disturbance in the force: White House’s Star Wars Day post raises eyebrows” (Axios)
• “The White House’s ‘Star Wars’ misstep adds to Trump’s pop culture woes,” (MSNBC) 
• “Trump meme roundup: From Pope Trump to a Star Wars Day lightsaber flub, the White House AI-generated posts stir controversy” (Yahoo! News). 
• “How an AI Star Wars image has backfired on Trump and the White House” (Euro News) 
• “Everything Wrong in Trump’s May 4 Lightsaber Pic” (Intelligencer) 
• “White House celebrates ‘Star Wars Day’ with AI image of muscular Trump wielding a lightsaber” (Fox News) 

George Lucas, who created the Star Wars galaxy, introduced the first film in the series in 1977. He followed that film – which was originally titled Star Wars — with The Empire Strikes Back in 1980 and Return of the Jedi in 1983. 

Other Star Wars movies have been released since the 1980s, but Lucas has not been involved since he sold his company, Lucasfilm, to Disney in 2012. To learn more about the current state of the Star Wars galaxy, click here.