“Is that Darth? Stand up, please.”

President Donald Trump delivered one in all his strangest speeches but within the Rose Garden on Oct. 21, 2025, thanking “Darth Vader” for his work.

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Speaking to Republican senators at a White House luncheon, Trump used a part of his 42-minute remarks to reward Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, whom he bizarrely nicknamed “Darth Vader.”

The occasion, held within the newly paved Rose Garden, was meant to handle the continuing authorities shutdown. Instead, it veered right into a rambling monologue about Democrats, building noise, and Star Wars villains.

What did Trump say within the Rose Garden?

Around 35 minutes into his speech, Trump all of a sudden noticed Vought within the crowd and launched right into a tangent.

Trump stated, “I will say this, that we have Darth Vader. You know Darth Vader, right? Darth Vader is a man who, I think, is sitting right… Is that Darth? Stand up, please.”

The president wasn’t referring to the fictional Sith Lord voiced by James Earl Jones, however to Vought, the conservative funds chief overseeing deep cuts to Democratic-led packages. “He’s cutting Democrat priorities, and they’re never going to get them back,” Trump boasted. “They’ve caused this, and they’ve really allowed us to do it.”

As the viewers watched, Trump praised Vought’s aggressive slashing of Democratic initiatives, calling him “a good man” who was “doing a really great job.”

Trump particularly talked about the defunding of New York’s $20 billion Gateway Tunnel mission, saying, “They’re losing all the things that they wanted… the things that are just so bad for our country.”

Reactions to the speech

On X, of us wasted no time mocking the spectacle. @DenisonBarbs wrote,
If Trump is aware of his films, it didn’t finish so properly for Darth Vader…….” Meanwhile, @ChrisRobinsonNJ requested, “If Vought is Darth Vader, what does that make Trump?” accompanied by a GIF of Emperor Palpatine.

Others drew sharper political parallels. @wty1969 wrote, “I remember when all the Republicans swore that Trump [had] nothing to do with project 2025, and his voters believed him. Now he cant stop bragging about it.”

Many customers targeted on the absurdity of the Star Wars comparability itself. X person @justindanaher joked, “If Darth Vader works for him, that makes him Palpatine. Death Star announcement coming soon.”

@BotWithABeard added, “Senators looking around after that comparison,” posting a GIF captioned, “Are we the baddies?”

Some took the chance to critique the broader symbolism. @DarksaberLight famous, “Hilarious that literally every time the Trump family has referenced Star Wars they (unintentionally?) portray their administration as the Empire/agents of the Dark Side.”

And lastly, @comradeyap summed up the final disbelief. “So he believes hannibal lecter is real and now darth vader – why hasn’t the 25th amendment been brought up by congress like what are we f*cking doing here.”

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