The White House borrows GTA 6 again: Trump, a flying car and “before GTA 6”, while Rockstar steers clear of direct satire

The official account posted a GTA-style image with Trump and the Tesla Roadster. It is the second time. What Rockstar has said about putting Trump in the game.

Grand Theft Auto has spent thirty years mocking American politics. This time it is American politics borrowing Grand Theft Auto.

The image

According to Vandal, which reproduces the post, the image copies GTA's visual style, including the typeface, used here for the "Make America Great Again" slogan. Trump stands in front; behind him are a helicopter and the new Tesla Roadster with thrusters. The caption: "We really got flying cars before GTA 6".

The joke plays on two things. One is the "before GTA 6" meme, used for years to mock the game's delays. The other is Elon Musk's Roadster reveal, in which the car jumps off a ramp on thrusters at SpaceX's Texas site, with production not starting until 2028, according to ABC News.

Not the first time

In June, when Rockstar unveiled the game's cover, the White House posted its own version with four images of Trump. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined in too. Asked about it, Rockstar said "no comment", according to Inven Global. Vandal notes the White House had already used Pokémon, Zelda, Tetris and Halo imagery without their owners' permission.

Rockstar has not said anything about the October post either.

What Rockstar has said about Trump

In August, The New York Times asked Rob Nelson, co-head of Rockstar North, whether the game would take on Trump or the pandemic. His answer, as reported by Kotaku: "We run the risk of dating ourselves in a sort of awkward way." The team looks, he said, for things with a "timeless" quality that capture human folly and will be remembered as part of this time.

He told IGN the same thing in other words: broad things are fine to satirise, but "very specific political issues or memes will date fast". The game has been in development since 2015, and in that time today's joke becomes tomorrow's relic.

In other words, Rockstar has neither confirmed nor ruled out Trump appearing in the game, but suggests it will not go after him directly. For now, the one putting Trump into GTA is the White House.

The game's other pre-launch controversies, from the August leak to the dismissals tribunal, are in our round-up.

Frequently asked questions

Is Trump in GTA 6?

Rockstar has neither confirmed nor denied it. Co-head Rob Nelson explained in August that they avoid very specific political topics because they date quickly, so a direct parody is not expected.

What did the White House post about GTA 6?

On 16 October 2026, a GTA-style image with Trump, a helicopter and the Tesla Roadster, captioned "We really got flying cars before GTA 6". In June it had already parodied the game's cover.

Has Rockstar responded to the White House?

No. In June it said "no comment" about the cover parody, and it has said nothing about the October post.