WASHINGTON — The White House has taken down a Tetris-style mini-game on its website called “Build The Wall” after The Tetris Company publicly flagged copyright concerns, the BBC reported Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026.

Players stacked blocks to build a wall meant to “protect the border.” The title was one of five arcade-style games hosted in a mini-game section of the White House site. On Sept. 4, the official Tetris account on X said the firm “was not involved in the creation” of the game and that it “takes copyright infringement very seriously.”

“At Tetris we believe in the power of connection and building people together, not dividing them,” the company said, adding gratitude to its fans.

The White House had not responded to BBC requests for comment and gave no official reason for the removal. Four other arcade games remained online, including “Flappy Bill” (a Flappy Bird–style bald-eagle dodge of National Mall monuments) and Rio Run, a Snake-like “patrol the line” game that tallies a “Deported” counter when players hit the map edge, per BBC.

IP muscle meets government meme machines

The Tetris Company has previously enforced its look-and-feel rights — including a 2012 settlement with iPhone clone Mino — so a White House clone was always going to invite a lawyer letter. Governments do not get a free pass to remix protected game design into campaign aesthetics; copyright is still a property right even when the publisher is the executive branch.

BBC placed the flap in a wider pattern of Trump administration video-game culture on official channels: an October 2025 White House X post with AI imagery of Trump in Halo armor; a March video mixing Iran strike footage with entertainment clips including Halo’s Master Chief (voice actor Steve Downes objected in a since-deleted post); and Pokémon Company criticism after a March meme used Pikachu with “Make America Great Again.” Connecticut state Sen. Matt Lesser mocked the arcade push while heating-oil prices ran high.

Stacking pixels is optional. Clearing copyright before you ship a federal website game is not.

Sources