A social media post by the White House depicts President Donald Trump walking across the snow toward a Greenlandic flag along with a penguin carrying an American flag on January 23, 2026 Photo: Screenshot from X account of White House

The White House on Friday posted an AI-generated photo on its official X account, depicting US President Donald Trump walking across the snow toward a Greenlandic flag along with a penguin carrying an American flag. The post sparked a wave of backlash on social media as many pointed out that penguins aren't found in the Arctic, according to media reports. 

"Embrace the Penguin," the White House wrote in the post containing the picture. 

However, a report by CNN on Friday, citing the US National Geographic, noted that penguins aren't found in the Arctic. The CNN report noted that the White House is continuing its push for Greenland on social media. Trump announced a framework deal for Greenland, but no document has yet memorialized a future deal, CNN reported.

Newsweek also reported that the meme "sparks backlash." The report by Newsweek cited the post of X account Patriot Takes, with over 460,000 followers, saying, "There are no penguins in Greenland. All Penguins live in the southern hemisphere except one species from the Galapagos Islands."

Swedish economist Anders Åslund also reacted on X, saying that "Greenland harbors no penguins & Trump has no right to either Greenland or penguins. Is this really the [White] House?" per the report by Newsweek.

Josh Wingrove from Bloomberg wrote on X Friday night that "Antarctic penguins, not spared by remigration policy."

On Tuesday, Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself placing the US flag on the territory of Greenland on his social media platform Truth Social. In the image, Trump is accompanied by US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with a sign nearby reading "GREENLAND - US TERRITORY EST. 2026."

On the same day, Trump released another image: He met with European leaders in the Oval Office, with a map displayed behind him showing the US, Canada, Greenland, and Venezuela under the American flag. Some people commented that the question regarding taking over Greenland isn't "troll or intent," but a deliberate strategy of the US that blurs the line, making the intent itself a form of psychological warfare.

On Friday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen delivered a brief statement to the media during her visit to Nuuk, capital of Greenland, stressing solidarity and a shared political future within the Danish realm. The visit followed Frederiksen's participation in an emergency European Union summit in Brussels on Thursday and a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte earlier on Friday, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The Danish Defence Command also announced on Friday that "Arctic Endurance," a multinational military exercise, has begun in Greenland and is set to run until the end of 2026, per Xinhua.

Global Times