The White House has taken heat from critics over its social media strategy celebrating U.S. military strikes that have successfully hit targets throughout Iran in the first week of the war with the Islamic regime.
Between sharing videos of airstrikes referencing the video games Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty and compilations of strikes set next to clips from iconic American athletes and war movies, President Donald Trump‘s White House has applied its unorthodox, eye-catching social media strategy to its public relations on the Iran war. But the videos posted to platforms like X have drawn the ire of Democrats and other critics.
Actor Ben Stiller, of the war film Tropic Thunder, publicly called on the White House to delete a video briefly featuring a scene from the film.
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“Hey White House, please remove the Tropic Thunder clip. We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie,” Stiller wrote.
JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY.
pic.twitter.com/0502N6a3rL
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 6, 2026
Democratic lawmakers have also chimed in, with Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) blasting the social media strategy on X as a campaign that has no respect for the gravity of war.
“SpongeBob memes and video game edits hyping their illegal war in Iran, tells us just how seriously the White House takes decisions of war and peace. This isn’t Call of Duty. It isn’t a game or a meme. Real people are dying, including innocent children and American soldiers,” Beyer wrote.
But the White House is dismissing the heat, hailing the “banger videos” — as White House Communications Director Steven Cheung put it — as a way of celebrating successful military operations.
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“Under the decisive leadership of President Trump, America’s heroic warfighters are meeting or surpassing all of their goals under Operation Epic Fury,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said. “The legacy media wants us to apologize for highlighting the United States Military’s incredible success, but the White House will continue showcasing the many examples of Iran’s ballistic missiles, production facilities, and dreams of owning a nuclear weapon being destroyed in real time.”
The videos fall in line with War Secretary Pete Hegseth‘s rhetoric about the importance of a “warrior ethos” within the U.S. military.
“The United States did not start this conflict, but we will finish it. If you kill or threaten Americans anywhere in the world — as Iran has — then we will hunt you down, and we will kill you. Our warriors are the best in the world, and they are fully unleashed to achieve our objectives. May God’s providence protect them in this vital mission,” Hegseth said in his announcement of Operation Epic Fury.
The Trump administration’s social media strategy has drawn attention from the media throughout its first year, with campaigns showing popular children’s book characters in violent images and videos of the U.S. Southern Command’s strikes on suspected drug trafficking boats.
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The Department of Homeland Security previously caught flak when it posted an Artificial Intelligence image using IndyCar imagery to promote its Speedway Slammer detention facility in August.
“We were unaware of plans to incorporate our imagery as part of yesterday’s announcement. Consistent with our approach to public policy and political issues, we are communicating our preference that our IP not be utilized moving forward in relation to this matter,” IndyCar had told the Washington Examiner.