# Jedi Mind Meld On March 1, 2013, President Barack Obama fumbled a pop culture reference at a White House press conference, mashing the Star Wars "Jedi mind trick" and Star Trek "Vulcan mind meld" into one phrase about failing to sway congressional Republicans on budget sequestration. Within an hour, #jedimindmeld was trending on Twitter, and by that afternoon the White House itself embraced the slip with an image macro and the shortlink wh.gov/jedimindmeld. ## Origin The catalyst was a March 1, 2013 press conference at the White House on the day automatic budget cuts took effect. Pressed on whether he had done enough to bring Republicans to a deal, Obama said he was "not a dictator" and could not force members of Congress to vote his way, adding that "most of you (reporters) have TVs in your office. Even some of you with fancy ones can't just, you know, do a Jedi mind meld"[1][3]. The original on-camera moment is preserved in a clip posted to YouTube the same day[8]. Reporters in the room caught the mash-up immediately, and Reuters filed its story under the headline "Obama: No 'Jedi mind-meld' with Republicans" within hours[3]. - **Platform:** White House press conference (source) / Twitter (viral spread) - **Creator:** Barack Obama (speaker); meme spread anonymous on Twitter - **Date:** 2013 ## Overview Jedi Mind Meld is the mangled sci-fi term Obama reached for while explaining why he could not force House Republicans into a sequestration deal, blending the Jedi "mind trick" from Star Wars with the Vulcan "mind meld" from Star Trek[1]. The gaffe worked as a meme because it broke a tribal rule of nerd fandom, mixing two rival franchises in a single sentence, which is a line most sci-fi fans learn to respect early[4]. Most posts under the #jedimindmeld hashtag were short jokes, screenshots and corrections rather than image macros, with fans explaining the difference between a Jedi and a Vulcan or riffing on Obama as a confused Padawan[2]. The one anchor visual came from the White House digital team, which pushed a still of Obama captioned in Star Wars and Star Trek title fonts alongside the shortlink wh.gov/jedimindmeld that redirected to the administration's sequester plan[5][6]. ## How to Use There is no reusable image template here. The format is the phrase itself, typically dropped as a tongue-in-cheek admission that you cannot force someone to agree with you, often in a political or workplace context. A common convention on Twitter in March 2013 was to pair the hashtag with a correction about which franchise the speaker meant, or with a Star Wars pun applied to budget politics, as CNN did with its "May the forced spending cuts be with you" headline[5]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Jedi Mind Meld? It is a mashed-up sci-fi phrase Obama used on March 1, 2013, combining the Star Wars "Jedi mind trick" with the Star Trek "Vulcan mind meld" while discussing budget sequestration[3]. ### Where did Jedi Mind Meld come from? It came from a White House press conference on March 1, 2013, where Obama said he could not "do a Jedi mind meld" on members of Congress to force a deal[1]. ### What does Jedi Mind Meld mean? In Obama's usage, it meant mentally forcing someone to change their position, a power he said he did not have as president because he is "not a dictator"[3]. ### How do you use Jedi Mind Meld? People used it on Twitter under #jedimindmeld as a quick joke about failing to persuade someone, often paired with a correction about which franchise Obama really meant[4]. ### Is Jedi Mind Meld still popular? No. Interest faded within days as the sequester story moved on, and the hashtag did not develop into a lasting format beyond that week in March 2013[7]. ## References 1. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/star-wars-star-trek-play-tricks-on-obamas-mind/2013/03/01/e746767e-82b2-11e2-a350-49866afab584_story.html]() 2. [http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/01/17149659-jedi-mind-meld-white-house-embraces-nerdy-meme-for-sequestration-push?lite]() 3. [http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/01/us-usa-fiscal-obama-idUSBRE92013Y20130301]() 4. [http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57572120/obamas-jedi-mind-meld-gaffe-stirs-jokes-on-twitter/]() 5. [http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/03/01/jedimindmeld-may-the-forced-spending-cuts-be-with-you/comment-page-1/]() 6. [http://www.mediaite.com/tv/obama-i-am-not-a-dictator-cant-just-use-jedi-mind-meld-to-force-gop-into-deal/]() 7. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/jedi-mind-meld]() 8. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kx6OyWSIJA]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/jedi-mind-meld Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library