White House ‘calls a truce’ in the console war: Trump meme causes GameStop shares to rise
27 October 2025 21:18
The White House has posted a meme on social media with US President Donald Trump after GameStop announced that the console war, which had lasted for more than two decades, was over. The post instantly went viral and even caused a jump in the company’s stock on the stock exchange, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
How it all started
on October 26, GameStop, one of the world’s largest video game and console retailers, published a joking statement announcing the “end of the console war” between PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo fans.
In the statement, the company said that the “hostilities” between fans of different consoles are officially over, and its stores will now become a “demilitarized zone” for gamers around the world.
“Since Halo: Combat Evolved will officially be released on PlayStation in 2026 as a cross-platform game, GameStop, acting as a neutral organization, hereby announces the official end of the console wars,” the company said in a statement.
the “conflict” between fans of different platforms, according to GameStop, began in the early 2000s with the release of Halo: Combat Evolved, an Xbox exclusive that became one of the symbols of Microsoft’s gaming era.
The White House’s reaction
Less than a day after GameStop’s announcement, the White House posted a statement on its official accounts, accompanied by a meme of Donald Trump wearing Halo armor and a caption:
“Power to the players.”
Another administration account joked:
“This is the ninth war Donald Trump has ended.”
The US president, who has repeatedly boasted of ending “real” international conflicts, refrained from making official comments, but the meme was also reposted on his personal Truth Social page.
Effect on the market
After the meme went viral, GameStop shares jumped by more than 7% in pre-market trading on the morning of October 27, Forbes reported. Investors reacted to the attention from the White House and positive publicity on social media, which provoked a wave of memes, cosplays, and jokes among gamers.
Analysts note that this is not the first time GameStop’s stock prices have jumped in its history. The company has already been the subject of a “meme boom” in 2021, when the Reddit community massively bought up its securities, creating the effect of “meme stocks.”
What does the “end of the console war” mean?
The so-called “console war” has been waged by video game fans for the past 20 years, comparing Sony’s PlayStation, Microsoft’s Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. Disputes covered everything from processor power to exclusive games.
In recent years, however, the trend has been shifting towards cross-platform, with games becoming available on multiple consoles simultaneously. It was the release of the iconic Halo on PlayStation, which symbolically “connected” the two camps, that became the reason for GameStop’s satirical statement.
Meme politics
The White House’s publication was another example of how Donald Trump’s administration is actively using Internet humor and memes to attract a young audience.
Political analysts note that this style of communication combines irony, pop culture references, and self-irony – features that were not previously associated with official government channels.
“Memes are becoming part of the political narrative. In this case, the White House combined humor and a cultural event to appear closer to younger voters,” comments media analyst Claire Jeffries.
Reaction of gamers
The gaming community reacted with an explosion of memes. On Twitter, Reddit, and TikTok, users created a fanart depicting Donald Trump as the main character of Halo, “the peacemaker who united PlayStation and Xbox.”
Most users took the joke positively, calling it “the most peaceful statement from the administration all year.”
