The White House released a Hollywood-themed propaganda video, pledging “justice the American way” for Iran. This video showcases actors from Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, portraying characters that include a dishonest attorney, a drug dealer, and a freedom fighter challenging the overwhelming might of an invading foreign army.
Posted on the White House’s official X account on Thursday, the 42-second video was met with widespread online derision. Commentators accused the Trump administration of immaturity and compared its social media strategy to one managed by adolescents.
The compilation begins with a scene from Iron Man 2, featuring Robert Downey Jr.’s character, Tony Stark, as the first of several superheroes. He is shown saying, “Wake up, Daddy’s home,” as he claps to activate a bank of computers.
Downey Jr. has been an outspoken critic of Trump and actively campaigned for his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris, during the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election.
Following this, Russell Crowe in Gladiator and Mel Gibson in Braveheart are featured. Crowe is from New Zealand, and Gibson from Australia, although Gibson was born in New York before relocating to Sydney with his family in childhood.
Both films explore the concept of small, seemingly defenseless entities defying powerful, imperial forces seeking to conquer them. Gibson, for example, portrays William Wallace, a Scottish freedom fighter resisting the English invading army.
After a brief segment showing Tom Cruise as the assertive fighter pilot Maverick in Top Gun, the next character to appear is Jimmy McGill, a lawyer with dubious ethics from the long-running TV series Breaking Bad and its prequel spin-off, Better Call Saul.
The attorney, played by Bob Odenkirk, is primarily known for defending Walter White, a teacher who transforms into a methamphetamine producer, particularly after his alter ego, Saul Goodman, becomes an unscrupulous and amoral con artist. In the White House’s edited clip, he shouts, “You can’t conceive of what I’m capable of.”
Subsequently, Keanu Reeves, a Canadian citizen born in Beirut, announces “I’m thinking I’m back!” from his 2014 film John Wick. This is followed by Bryan Cranston — who portrays White in Breaking Bad — declaring “I AM the danger!” in a clip from the series.
Like Downey Jr., Cranston has been vocally critical of Trump. In 2017, he told the Guardian he was “disheartened” by Trump’s presidential win, having previously described him as a “Shakespearean serio-tragic-comedic character.” He further condemned Trump’s “demagoguery” in an acceptance speech at the 2019 Tony awards.
The remainder of the video presents a succession of costumed and cartoon action heroes — and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. It concludes with a voice proclaiming “flawless victory,” from the Mortal Kombat video game and film series, superimposed over the caption “The White House.”
The Trump administration has increasingly adopted provocative visuals for its messaging, echoing the president’s own confrontational social media strategy of mockery, insults, and trolling. In January, for example, it digitally manipulated a photograph of a woman arrested at an immigration protest to make it appear she was crying.
The administration has also unreservedly utilized AI technology in videos and still images to create what critics term “slopaganda.” This included a video last October that depicted Trump defecating on American citizens attending that month’s No Kings protests.
It remains uncertain if or when the White House secured permission to use the clips in the latest video. Numerous high-profile artists and musicians, including Abba, Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, George Harrison, and the Rolling Stones, have previously clashed with the White House over the unauthorized use of their material.