South Park's Season 26 finale marked a turning point for Mr Garrison, the character long used by creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone to parody Donald Trump. In the episode "Spring Break," Garrison relapses into his Trump persona after encountering Trump-branded merchandise while on holiday with his boyfriend Rick, only to abandon it again to save their relationship. The storyline effectively retired a device that had become increasingly awkward for the show to sustain once Trump actually became president, since reality had begun to outpace the satire.

Garrison first adopted the exaggerated Trump look, complete with suit, red tie and orange makeup, during Trump's 2015 campaign, but Parker admitted as early as 2017 that real events were often funnier than anything the writers could invent. Both creators later said election cycles made the show less enjoyable to produce, with Stone noting they "have less fun" during such periods. That reluctance shifted after November 2024, however, as South Park's Season 27 premiere in July 2025 took a far more direct approach, mocking Trump over subjects including the Epstein files and the Paramount Skydance merger rather than relying on the Garrison caricature.