HBO Disavows Trump's Reference to "Game of Thrones"



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To promote his government's decision to reimpose sanctions on Iran, President Trump turned Friday to the extremely popular "Game of Thrones" television show.

In a tweet featuring a movie poster with a steel portrayal of the president, he included the words "Sanctions are Coming". will announce an army of undead from the north to conquer other lands.

HBO responded to Mr. Trump with a message of his own: keep us out of the way.

"We were not aware of this message and would prefer that our brand not be diverted for political purposes," HBO spokesman Quentin Schaffer said in a statement.

The official statement from HBO comes after a dose of snark on Twitter in response to Mr Trump's tweet. "How do you say brand abuse in Dothraki?" the company wrote. (Dothraki is a language spoken by a group of nomadic warriors, also called dothraki, in "Game of Thrones.")

Two members of the "Thrones" cast shared their personal reactions. Sophie Turner, the English actress who plays Sansa Stark in the series, responded to Mr Trump's comments. tweet with a blunt "Ew" And Maisie Williams, an English actress who plays the role of Sansa's sister, Arya Stark, replied, "Not today."

The White House Press Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday night.

Politicians have already cited the trademark phrase. In 2015, Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, tweeted "Big News Is Coming" to announce the expected announcement of his candidacy for the presidency.

Mr. Schaffer, the spokesman for HBO, said that apart from the use of this phrase by Mr. Trump, the company prefers that others do not use it to "promote their own programs. ".

Several years ago, in a series of tweetsMr. Trump repeatedly called viewers to cancel their HBO account because the network was broadcasting the nightly animated television show, Bill Maher. Mr. Trump had a quarrel with Mr. Maher at the time.

Musical artists, including R.E.M. and Aerosmith have previously asked Mr. Trump to stop using their songs at his rallies. Elton John, whose music has always been Trump's music, told The Guardian in 2016 that he did not want his music to be involved in American politics.

Mr. Trump's Friday play on the phrase "Thrones" had a clearly partisan angle. On Friday, his government reaffirmed sanctions against Iran a few days before the mid-term elections.

The sanctions, promised in May, will target more than 700 companies, individuals and other entities in the oil, banking, maritime, shipbuilding and insurance sectors in Iran. The Trump administration also announced Friday it exempts eight countries from the deadline of November 5 for countries to stop importing Iranian products or incurring financial penalties.

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