The White House has launched an aggressive social media blitz to sell the Iran war, splicing real missile strikes with video game footage in videos that have racked up billions of views.
With machismo narration from Pete Hegseth, Call of Duty scenes and dramatic backing music, the videos have horrified traditionalists who believe it is offensive to America’s troops.
But in the battle for eyeballs, the administration is unmoved.
‘Over a four-day period, the videos that we put out had over 3 billion impressions,’ a senior White House official told Politico, speaking anonymously about the administration’s communications strategy.
‘That blows away anything we’ve ever done in the second term,’ the official added.
White House communications staffers are encouraged to post content that is already popular within their own private group chats.
The videos are posted on the official White House accounts on TikTok, Instagram and X, using Grand Theft Auto clips, MLB home runs and real war footage spliced with films like Gladiator and Top Gun.
Some veterans believe the videos undermine America’s credibility.
The White House has launched an aggressive social media blitz to sell the Iran war, splicing real missile strikes with video game footage and movie trailer formats in videos that have racked up billions of views
‘I don’t think the performance of our men and women in uniform requires embellishment from Hollywood or computer games,’ said Command chief. ‘They represent the American people quite well on their own.’
Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges said: ‘It just seems detached from reality. Our allies look at this and they wonder, what the hell is going on. It doesn’t look like we’re serious.’
The White House disagreed, pointing to the numbers.
‘Polls show that a lot of young people are actually somewhat supportive of this war and our goal is to deliver content to them,’ the White House official said.
‘What we’re doing doesn’t disrespect the American troops. To the contrary, we’re highlighting all the great work – the heroic work that they’ve been doing with these videos. We do it in a way that captivates an audience.’
A second senior White House official called it a ‘creative endeavor.’
‘We’re over here just grinding away on banger memes, dude… There’s an entertainment factor to what we do. But ultimately, it boils down to the fact that no one has ever attempted to communicate with the American public this way before,’ the second official said.
Democratic digital strategist Lauren Kapp has a blunter name for the strategy: ‘rate bait.’
With machismo narration from Pete Hegseth , Call of Duty scenes and dramatic backing music, the videos have horrified traditionalists who believe it looks ‘unserious’
‘They don’t care if the engagement is bad or good. They want these videos to be seen by as many young, impressionable young people as possible,’ she said.
YouGov polling shows 56 percent of Americans and 63 percent of independents are dissatisfied with Trump’s Iran policy.
Democratic strategist Max Burns argues the campaign is appealing ‘directly to the base.’
‘Especially to these young, very online, 4chan MAGA people who, just like Trump, treat war like a video game,’ Burns said. ‘You don’t see service members sharing this content.’
The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment on this story.
