“That makes him Palpatine”: Trump randomly thanks “Darth Vader” during speech about government shutdown
President Donald Trump delivered one of his strangest speeches yet in the Rose Garden on Oct. 21, 2025, thanking "Darth Vader" for his work.
Speaking to Republican senators at a White House luncheon, Trump used part of his 42-minute remarks to praise Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, whom he bizarrely nicknamed "Darth Vader."
The event, held in the newly paved Rose Garden, was meant to address the ongoing government shutdown. Instead, it veered into a rambling monologue about Democrats, construction noise, and Star Wars villains.
What did Trump say in the Rose Garden?
Around 35 minutes into his speech, Trump suddenly spotted Vought in the crowd and launched into a tangent.
Trump said, "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, but to Vought, the conservative budget chief overseeing deep cuts to Democratic-led programs. "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 audience watched, Trump praised Vought’s aggressive slashing of Democratic projects, calling him "a good man" who was "doing a really great job."
Trump specifically mentioned the defunding of New York’s $20 billion Gateway Tunnel project, 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, folks wasted no time mocking the spectacle. @DenisonBarbs wrote,
If Trump knows his movies, it didn’t end so well for Darth Vader......." Meanwhile, @ChrisRobinsonNJ asked, "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 users focused on the absurdity of the Star Wars comparison itself. X user @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 opportunity to critique the broader symbolism. @DarksaberLight noted, "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 finally, @comradeyap summed up the general 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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