A series of high-energy White House videos promoting the U.S. war with Iran are racking up millions of views online, even as a pair of Hollywood actors demand their footage be removed.
The clips, posted across the administration’s social media feeds, blend real footage of U.S. strikes in Iran with scenes from blockbuster movies, video games and sports highlights.
The edits move rapidly between explosions, fighter jets and pop culture imagery while hard rock and hip-hop tracks play in the background.
Critics in Hollywood have blasted the videos as “propaganda,” but the posts continue to gain traction online.
If you don’t know, now you know. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/0POIzmweuE
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 9, 2026
One 21-second clip featuring a fighter jet destroying multiple targets set to Nelly’s “Here Comes The Boom” quickly went viral and drew more than two million views. The video carried a short caption: “If you don’t know, now you know.”
Another montage showing President Donald Trump walking through several locations before military targets explode reached roughly 1.7 million views.
That video was paired with Migos’ “Walk It Talk It” and included Trump telling a crowd he would “bomb the shit out of them” before the clip cuts to footage of strikes.
@whitehouse Can’t say he didn’t warn them. 🦅
The White House captioned the video: “can’t say he didn’t warn them.”
Across multiple posts, the administration’s social media team mixed real military imagery with references from movies, television and gaming culture.
@whitehouse Coming in hot 🤫
Clips from films such as “Braveheart,” “Top Gun,” “Superman,” “Iron Man” and “Gladiator” appear between footage of explosions and missile strikes.
A separate edit features footage from the video game “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas,” including the character’s well-known line “Ah shit, here we go again” before the video cuts to scenes of strikes on Iranian targets.
Other posts incorporate scenes from games like “Call of Duty,” “Halo,” “Mortal Kombat” and “Dragon Ball Z.”
@whitehouse TOUCHDOWN ⚡️
One sequence even includes a brief appearance from the cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants asking, “You wanna see me do it again?” between images of vehicles and buildings being destroyed.
Sports highlights also appear in the edits. Several clips feature bone-crunching NFL and college football tackles or Major League Baseball home runs timed with the sound of explosions.
@whitehouse HOME RUN 🔥
The videos are set to an eclectic soundtrack of music ranging from AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” to Childish Gambino’s “Bonfire” and Miami XO’s “Bazooka.”
One post carried the caption “JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY” alongside American flag and fire emojis.
Despite the strong engagement online, not everyone in Hollywood is pleased.
Steve Downes, the longtime voice of Master Chief in the “Halo” franchise, objected after discovering his character appeared in one of the White House edits.
“It has come to my attention that there is at least one propaganda video circulating,” Downes wrote on X, claiming the clip used his voice alongside footage supporting the war in Iran.
The voice actor insisted he was never contacted about the video.
“Let me make this crystal clear,” Downes stated. “I did not participate in nor was I consulted, nor do I endorse the use of my voice in this video.”
— Steve Downes (@SteveDownes117) March 8, 2026
Downes concluded his message by demanding the clip be taken down, describing it as “disgusting” and “juvenile war p*rn.”
The video he referenced carried the White House caption “Justice the American Way” and features a montage of characters from several films and television shows.
Actor Ben Stiller also weighed in after noticing a clip from the 2008 comedy “Tropic Thunder” included in one of the edits.
“Hey White House, please remove the Tropic Thunder clip,” Stiller wrote in a post on X.
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. https://t.co/dMQqRxxVCa
— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) March 6, 2026
The actor argued the filmmakers never approved the use of their footage and criticized the administration’s messaging.
“We never gave you permission,” Stiller said, adding that he had “no interest” in being part of what he called a “propaganda machine.” He also complained that “war is not a movie.”
The sequence drawing the complaints runs about 42 seconds and stitches together short moments from several well-known films.
@whitehouse LOCKED IN ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It opens with Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark from “Iron Man 2” activating a bank of computers while declaring, “Wake up, Daddy’s home.”
The clip quickly shifts to Russell Crowe in “Gladiator” and Mel Gibson’s Scottish warrior William Wallace from “Braveheart,” both characters associated with resistance against powerful enemies.
Next comes Tom Cruise as fighter pilot Maverick in “Top Gun,” followed by Bob Odenkirk’s character Jimmy McGill from “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul.”
@whitehouse A message to terrorists:
In the edit, McGill shouts a line warning others they “can’t conceive” of what he is capable of.
The montage then cuts to Master Chief from “Halo” delivering the line “Finishing this fight” before footage of a missile strike destroying a target appears on screen.
Christopher Reeve’s Superman also appears briefly, declaring that he fights for “truth, justice, and the American way” as additional explosions flash across the screen.
The sequence continues with Keanu Reeves announcing “I’m thinking I’m back” from the “John Wick” series and Bryan Cranston’s Walter White from “Breaking Bad” declaring “I am the danger.”
@whitehouse Stay frosty
A clip of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appears during a real Pentagon briefing before the montage transitions to a scene from the “Transformers” franchise.
The video ends with the iconic “flawless victory” phrase from the “Mortal Kombat” games.
When asked whether the administration would remove clips after complaints from actors, the White House declined to say.
@whitehouse OPERATION EPIC FURY
Press secretary Anna Kelly instead defended the videos and pointed to the ongoing success of U.S. operations in Iran.
“America’s heroic warfighters are meeting or surpassing all of their goals under Operation Epic Fury,” Kelly said.
She added that critics in the media want the administration to apologize for highlighting battlefield victories.
“The legacy media wants us to apologize for highlighting the United States Military’s incredible success,” Kelly stated, saying the White House would continue showcasing Iranian missile sites and production facilities being destroyed.
Online reaction to the actors’ complaints was mixed, with several social media users pushing back against Stiller in particular.
@whitehouse 💥💥
Some critics circulated footage of the actor visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the war in Ukraine and questioned why he objected to appearing in the White House montage.
Others pointed out that “Tropic Thunder” itself is a war-themed movie that earned nearly $200 million at the global box office.
One user mocked the dispute with a simple remark: “War is not a movie. Please remove the clip from my movie in which war IS a movie.”