Veterans and the families of U.S. soldiers killed in combat have rebuked President Donald Trump’s White House over its use of memes in social media posts addressing the Iran conflict, saying it trivializes their sacrifices.
Rather than solemnly reporting updates on a war that has already claimed at least 13 American lives and seen another 200 injured, the White House has been firing out posts containing pop cultural references to everything from Call of Duty and Top Gun to Marvel movies, SpongeBob SquarePants, Grand Theft Auto, and Dragon Ball Z. Its posts often mash up news footage with “humorous” clips from popular films, games, TV shows, and music videos.
The resulting messaging strategy is starkly at odds with the tone of real-world military events like the dignified transfer ceremonies that take place at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware every time the bodies of fallen servicemembers are brought home.
“They’re completely diminishing what they’re asking the nation to do in Iran,” retired U.S. Army colonel Joe Buccino told The Washington Post.
“It seems almost obscene relative to the actual violence and suffering that’s involved with this.”
Connor Crehan, a fellow veteran who co-hosts Barstool Sports’ Bold American podcast, said the posts left a sour taste.
“Serving in Iraq, seeing my friends pay the ultimate sacrifice… knowing the toll it took on our country, I don’t love the idea we’re turning around and making hype videos,” he said.
“I can’t imagine how it feels like for those family members of people who signed up to serve the country and did so proudly… to then see the White House making videos like, ‘Look at all these cool explosions.’”
John Vick, executive director of Concerned Veterans for America, said that while the U.S. military’s success should be celebrated, “gamifying or making light of war also undermines the sacrifice of the Americans who have died, and obfuscates the cost of open-ended conflict.
“Most Americans, and especially American veterans, are ready to hear how and when we achieve victory and bring this war to a close. That is what the Pentagon needs to communicate, and soon.”
A number of veterans in Congress have also expressed offense, including Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who said “war is not a f***ing video game,” and Colorado Rep. Jason Crow, who called the approach “sick and morally bankrupt.”
“Our servicemembers deserve so much better than this,” Crow added.
The White House has consistently defended its approach, with spokeswoman Anna Kelly previously telling The Independent: “Under the decisive leadership of President Trump, America’s heroic warfighters are meeting or surpassing all of their goals under Operation Epic Fury.
“The legacy media wants us to apologize for highlighting the United States military’s incredible success, but the White House will continue showcasing the many examples of Iran’s ballistic missiles, production facilities, and dreams of owning a nuclear weapon being destroyed in real time.”
Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, meanwhile reacted to the pop star Kesha complaining about the use of her work in one of the posts by claiming popular outrage only helped the strategy along.
“All these ‘singers’ keep falling for this,” he wrote on X. “This just gives us more attention and more view counts to our videos because people want to see what they’re b****ing about.”
An unnamed official was also recently quoted by Politico as saying: “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.”
Under the outgoing Kristi Noem, the Department of Homeland Security was also attacked over its meme warfare, which included a video of raids on alleged undocumented migrants being carried out by ICE agents set to the Pokemon theme song.
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