The United States has once again found a way to drag Greenland into the global conversation — this time through a meme. Not a policy speech or diplomatic note, but a viral image built around an internet joke that has survived nearly two decades.
US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly spoken about his desire to acquire Greenland from Denmark, has now joined an online trend centred on the so-called “Nihilist Penguin” meme. The move has sparked amusement, criticism and confusion in equal measure, especially among those who actually know Greenland.
The meme traces its origins to Encounters at the End of the World, a 2007 documentary by German filmmaker Werner Herzog. One scene shows a lone Adélie penguin breaking away from its colony and walking toward the vast Antarctic interior.
Over the years, the clip has been recast online as a symbol of existential dread, earning names like “Nihilist Penguin”, “Lonely Penguin”, and “Wandering Penguin”.
From cult meme to White House post
Leaning fully into the trend, the White House posted an AI-generated image showing Trump walking alongside a penguin toward icy mountains. In the image, the penguin holds the US flag, while the mountains in the background display the flag of Greenland. The caption reads: “Embrace The Penguin.”
The image may have been intended as humour, but it also carries a political undertone. Trump’s long-standing interest in Greenland, first expressed openly during his earlier presidency, has never quite faded. By wrapping that interest in meme culture, the White House appears to be testing how far symbolism can travel without explanation.
This is where the image begins to look less like a joke and more like a message. When a government account posts an AI-generated visual linking the US flag, Greenland’s flag and a pop-culture meme, it invites interpretation whether it wants to or not.
Greenland pushes back, internet joins in
The reaction was swift. Orla Joelsen, a Greenlandic social media user, responded bluntly: “Nice try. We don’t have penguins here in Greenland.” The correction cut through the humour and exposed the basic factual flaw in the image.
Adding to the pile-on was Larry the Cat, the UK Prime Minister’s famously opinionated pet, whose official account posted: “Cat check: Penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere.” The comment underlined what many viewers were already thinking — the meme did not just miss the point, it missed the map.
These responses turned the White House post into an unintended lesson in geography. Penguins, including Adélie penguins, are native to the Southern Hemisphere and are found in Antarctica, not the Arctic, where Greenland is located.
A joke that says more than it should
What stands out is not just the meme itself, but the choice to use it. Digital humour is powerful, but when governments use it, the line between satire and signalling becomes blurry. In this case, a light-hearted post reopened an old and sensitive issue about sovereignty and ownership.
The irony is hard to ignore. A meme built around a penguin walking away from its colony is now being used to symbolically walk toward someone else’s land. That may not have been the intention, but intention matters less than perception online.
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In trying to be clever, the post ended up reinforcing criticism rather than charm. And once again, Greenland became the punchline, despite making it clear, years ago, that it is not for sale — with or without penguins.
