White House Propaganda Targets Young Right-Wing Men with War Videos
White House Employs Aggressive Online Tactics in Iran Conflict Messaging
As the conflict with Iran enters its second week, the White House is pursuing an unconventional online propaganda campaign seemingly aimed at a specific demographic: young, right-leaning American men who are active online. The strategy involves the dissemination of rapidly edited, visually arresting videos that blend real combat footage with clips from action movies and video games, a tactic some observers are labeling as “slopaganda.”
The videos, shared on the social media platform X by the White House and affiliated officials, showcase deadly combat footage from strikes on Iran, often juxtaposed with scenes from fictional media. One video, released on Thursday and captioned “JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY,” incorporates footage from films like Braveheart, Gladiator, and Iron Man alongside images of American ordnance hitting Iranian military targets. Electronic dance music underscores the rapid cuts and dramatic imagery.
Another video, described as opening with a simulated air-strike call-out reminiscent of the video game Call of Duty, features footage of U.S. Bombs destroying Iranian vehicles, and facilities. A heads-up display, common in video games, appears on screen, awarding points for each destroyed target. A third video combines real combat footage with clips from Grand Theft Auto, showing a character from the game walking down a street while the footage cuts to a U.S. Torpedo destroying an Iranian warship, accompanied by the on-screen message “WASTED.”
The White House appears to be tapping into a retro-futurist aesthetic popular among the online right, characterized by nostalgia for the 1980s and 1990s, and a vision of a resurgent American industrial heartland. This approach echoes similar hype videos that have gained traction within that online community in recent years.
The campaign has drawn criticism and mockery. Commenters on X have dismissed the videos as ham-fisted and bloodthirsty, questioning the U.S.’s role as a proxy for Israel, and accusing the Trump administration of betraying the “America First” promises of the MAGA movement. Some have even referred to the conflict as “Operation Epstein Distraction.” A former Heritage Foundation staffer described the videos as “stupid,” expressing a desire for the administration to focus on domestic priorities like mass deportations and legislative goals.
The administration’s messaging has been described as confusing and tautological, and public opinion, according to a recent NPR/PBS/Marist survey, is overwhelmingly skeptical of the strikes on Iran, with only 36% approving of President Trump’s handling of the war. The White House strategy suggests a focus on placating a narrow segment of its base – a younger, male demographic skeptical of foreign intervention and wary of Middle East conflicts.
The aggressive, macho tone of the propaganda aligns with the rhetoric of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has frequently criticized political correctness, touted U.S. Military strength, and promised decisive action against Iran. Hegseth, a veteran and conservative media personality, has previously lobbied for pardons for soldiers accused of war crimes and is known for displaying tattoos with religious and nationalist symbolism, including a Jerusalem cross and the Arabic word “kafir.”
It remains unclear whether the White House obtained the necessary permissions for the use of film and music clips in these videos. A similar incident occurred in 2023 when a staffer on the Ron DeSantis campaign was fired for producing a video using Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” that included a neo-Nazi symbol.