President Donald Trump unknowingly unleashed a storm of swords today, when he (mis)appropriated the Game of Thrones logo to use in one of his partisan-laced political tweets. Trump’s declaration that “sanctions are coming” to the country of Iran was one of more creative ways that we’ve ever seen a president announce foreign policy – but there were quite a few Game of Thrones fans that didn’t appreciate the reference.
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After hearing HBO and the cast all speak out on the issue, we can now add the opinion of Game of Thrones creator, George R.R. Martin:
@realDonaldTrump #Vote pic.twitter.com/IZe7KwQQvk
— George RR Martin (@GRRMspeaking) November 2, 2018
Trump’s sanctions against Iran follow the president’s move back in May to pull the US out of the Iran Nuclear Deal, which was established under President Obama in 2015. The Trump administration has already issued one round of sanctions against Iranian core industries; the next round is expected to target the country’s energy sector, including oil and gas exports. Trump’s tweet was a dramatic spin on the classic “Winter Is Coming” quote that House Stark and the northerners use in Game of Thrones – but now it’s a more relevant question to wonder if he’s going to get sued for using the show logo in this manner.
George R.R. Martin has been in high demand – and not just the massive pressure to finish those last two Game of Thrones books. Martin and HBO are already gearing up for a Game of Thrones prequel series to go into production next year; Martin also has a new show called Nightflyers airing on SyFy in December. He’s also (obviously) provided a lot of input on the final seasons of Game of Thrones, which is all the more reason that fans want him to finish those books!
Here’s the (funnier) statement HBO put out regarding Trump’s use of Game of Thrones‘ logo:
How do you say trademark misuse in Dothraki?
— HBO (@HBO) November 2, 2018
According to HBO, Game of Thrones will return for its six-episode, eighth and final season in 2019.
David Benioff & D.B. Weiss, David Nutter and Miguel Sapochnik will be the directors for the new season. Writers for the new season are David Benioff & D.B. Weiss, Bryan Cogman and Dave Hill. The executive producers of the series are David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Carolyn Strauss, Frank Doelger and Bernadette Caulfield. Co-executive producers are Bryan Cogman, Guymon Casady, Vince Gerardis and George R.R. Martin.
As a reminder: Election Day is Coming on Tuesday November 6th.
