The White House caused a new backlash on X (formerly Twitter) with an original and geographically controversial post. In particular, a photo showing the American president walking towards it with one, holding flags and accompanied by the phrase “Hug the penguin” was the reason for strong comments and a “party” on social media.
The image, posted Friday night on the official White House page, was accompanied by a flurry of reactions and comments from X users, as the penguins did not , which many considered ridiculous or even misleading.
Embrace the penguin.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse)
At the same time, the US Department of Defense’s Direct Response Service posted a similar image, in which officers and soldiers escort a penguin with the phrase “Be a fighter, hug the penguin”, reinforcing the sense that this is an organized – but mysterious – digital campaign.
In the comments, X users focused on the geographical error but also the ambiguity of the message, with many sending sarcastic memes and humorous comments, with some even suggesting that the use of the penguin seemed to allude to…aggressive political targeting beyond Greenland itself.
As a result, the post immediately went viral, with X being flooded with references to the “wrong hemisphere” and other intelligent reactions from users around the world.
