The White House Publishes Photo of Penguins in Greenland, Where They Are Not

The White House Publishes Photo of Penguins in Greenland, Where They Are Not 0

The AI-generated image of Donald Trump with a penguin and the U.S. flag in Greenland has sparked a wave of mockery. Social media users point out the obvious factual error - penguins do not inhabit the Arctic.

Against the backdrop of Donald Trump's statements about the necessity of Greenland joining the U.S., the White House published a photo of the American president alongside a penguin. The image, created using artificial intelligence and posted on the official White House account on X, quickly became the subject of mockery and criticism on social media.

In the published image, Trump walks through the snow next to a penguin holding an American flag. Both are heading towards mountains where the Greenland flag is waving. The post is accompanied by the caption: "Hug a penguin."

Following this, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security published content featuring the penguin. The agency's account on X shared a montage video with American soldiers and a lone penguin walking through snowy terrain. "Americans have always known 'why'," the caption of the video states. The White House reposted this publication.

"Nihilist Penguin" from Herzog's Film

These frames are taken from the documentary by legendary German director Werner Herzog, "Encounters at the End of the World" from 2007, where a lone Adelie penguin strays from its colony and heads deeper into Antarctica. Off-screen, Herzog almost bewilderedly asks, "But why?" This scene has since turned into an internet meme known as the "nihilist penguin."

The White House publication quickly sparked widespread resonance on social media. Many users on X reminded that penguins do not inhabit Greenland - their natural habitat is in the Antarctic region and nearby areas.

Penguins have not been in the media spotlight for the first time in connection with Donald Trump. Earlier, in 2025, the U.S. president imposed increased tariffs of 10% on imports from almost all countries in the world, except for Russia and Belarus. At that time, the tariffs included, in particular, the Heard and McDonald Islands in the Southern Ocean, where no people live, but large colonies of these birds are located. Officially, the islands belong to Australia.