Trump was just torched by HBO and show stars over his Game Of Thrones tweet this morning

President Trump is pulling out every trick from his big bag of bigotries in preparation for next week’s midterms which, if things go well, could lead to a surge of elected Democrats and a withering blow to the GOP’s stranglehold over the federal government. He’s been hammering on incessantly about the migrant caravan making its way up through Central America, and now he’s throwing anti-Iranian sentiments into the mix.

The administration announced today that it would be reinstating all sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran, undoing the last bits of hard-earned trust built between the two countries under President Obama. Trump’s rhetoric towards Iran has been consistently substance-free, relying instead on lazy generalizations and superficial fearmongering. The decision to impose sanctions so close to the election is just another transparent attempt to incite his base by appearing “tough.”

To promote the announcement, Trump shared a ludicrous photo of himself on Twitter, with the text “Sanctions are Coming November 5.” The phrase is a play on the famous “Winter is Coming” catchphrase of the popular Game of Thrones series on HBO. The font Trump used is also specifically designed to mimic that used in HBO’s marketing materials.

It should be noted that the meme itself doesn’t make much sense since “Winter is Coming” is used as an ominous phrase that telegraphs dread and impending doom, while Trump presumably wants Americans to be excited about the sanctions.

Now, HBO has responded by subtweeting the president. “How do you say trademark misuse in Dothraki?” the entertainment company wrote, referencing the fictional language spoke by the nomadic horse warrior civilization in the series. Additionally, HBO released a statement to CNBC, saying “We were not aware of this messaging and would prefer our trademark not be misappropriated for political purposes.”

A few members of the cast decided to get in on the action as well. Maisie Williams who plays Arya Stark and Sophie Turner who plays Sansa Stark both took to Twitter to briefly mock Trump’s tweet.

HBO and its stars should be commended for standing up to Trump, even if it means alienating some of their Republican viewers.