The White House is catching heat over a new online “arcade” from people who say it turns immigration policy into a joke. A page on whitehouse.gov features five Trump-themed mini-games, including Rio Run and Build the Border Wall, in which players control border agents chasing brown cartoon migrants, Mediaite reports. The site was promoted with the caption: “CAN’T STOP WINNING. Build the wall. Deport. Fill a Trump Account.” A White House official described the games as “an effort to further contrast between a culture of fun and winning and the dark socialist vision Democrats have for America,” per ABC News.
Reaction was swift and negative, including from some conservatives. Meghan McCain reposted the preview clip, per Mediaite, and called it “so gross and distasteful.” The official Tetris account, after fans noted similarities to the classic puzzle game, stressed it had nothing to do with Build the Wall and said its mission is to connect people, not divide them. The Guardian‘s games critic called it “a horrible little propaganda arcade … a collection of nasty riffs on popular games.” The White House hinted that more games could be added to the government website, per the Hill.