CNN’s NewsNight host Abby Phillip may have thought she was mocking President Donald Trump, but instead she handed him a nickname that supporters say makes him sound even more formidable: Batman.
The moment came during a segment on Trump’s federal takeover of Washington, D.C.’s police force, and was shared widely on social media.
CNN’s Abby Phillip:
“Donald Trump makes himself Batman and the nation’s capital is Gotham City.”
That makes President Trump sound SUPER COOL!
Don’t think that was Abby’s intention at all. pic.twitter.com/DeNP1nUVwh
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) August 12, 2025
“Donald Trump Makes Himself Batman”
Discussing Trump’s decision to invoke Section 740 of the Home Rule Act and deploy federal resources to combat violent crime in the nation’s capital, Phillip opened the panel by declaring:
“Donald Trump makes himself Batman and the nation’s capital is Gotham City. The President of the United States has declared himself Crime Fighter in Chief, and he’s taking over Washington’s police force. It is a move that the D.C. Mayor is calling ‘unsettling and unprecedented.’”
MAGA Memes Erupt
Trump supporters immediately embraced the “Batman” label, flooding X with memes and AI-generated images of Trump in the cape and cowl — often alongside Vice President JD Vance as Robin.
One supporter posted an image with the caption, “I voted for this.” Another meme featured Trump in full Batman gear with the line, “I’m whatever Gotham needs me to be.”
Others pointed out that years ago, when a young boy asked Trump if he was Batman, the president famously replied: “I am Batman!”
