The White House posted a 42-second video on the X social media platform on 6/3, captioned "American Justice". The video opens with a scene from the film Iron Man and the line "Wake up, Dad's home", seemingly alluding to a statement by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who previously compared President Donald Trump to "a father" in handling international affairs.
The White House posted a video mixing film scenes with actual airstrike footage in Iran. *Video: X/White House*
Following this are a series of clips from popular films such as: Top Gun: Maverick, Braveheart, Gladiator, Breaking Bad, and John Wick. The action sequences from the films are interspersed with actual footage released by the US military, documenting airstrikes on targets in Iran.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also appears in the video with a clip from one of his press conferences.
Actor and director Ben Stiller demanded the White House remove a clip from the film Tropic Thunder, a satirical war comedy released in 2008 that he directed and co-wrote. "We never authorized and do not wish to be part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie," Stiller wrote on X.
In another post, the White House combined actual war footage with a scene from the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The video shows the player's character repeatedly saying "Here we go again" before each appearance of footage depicting strikes on Iranian targets.
According to experts, these videos feature a controversial communication style, disregarding US presidential norms to exploit online trends of satire and provocation. This style is often seen on President Donald Trump's social media accounts.
Last month, Trump was criticized for racism after posting a video superimposing the faces of former president Barack Obama and his wife onto monkeys.
Early in his term, when millions of protesters took to the streets across the US to oppose his governing style, President Trump also posted an AI-generated video showing himself wearing a crown and flying a fighter jet labeled "King Trump" dumping waste on angry crowds.
By Vu Hoang (AFP)
