A voice actor, from the popular video game series Halo, has condemned the Trump administration’s use of his speech in a clip shared by the White House to promote the Iran war.
The video, posted to official White House social media accounts last week, mixed footage of military strikes in Iran with clips from action movies and TV series, including Iron Man 2, Gladiator, Braveheart, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
Captioned “Justice the American Way,” the clip features Steve Downes’ voice as Master Chief, soldier protagonist of the Halo video game series. He can be heard uttering Master Chief’s catchphrase: “Finishing the fight.”
The video concludes with footage of the U.S. striking an Iranian ship, followed by a clip of an animated character saying: “Now end this!” The White House logo then flashes on the screen, as a voice says, “Flawless Victory,” a reference to another video game, Mortal Kombat.
Downes posted on X that there was “at least one propaganda video” using his voice and images of his character “to support the war in Iran.” He explained the videos were “either produced or at the very least endorsed by the White House.”
“Let me make this crystal clear: I did not participate in nor was I consulted, nor do I endorse the use of my voice in this video, or the message it conveys,” Downes said. “I demand that the producers of this disgusting and juvenile war porn remove my voice immediately.”
The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.
The video also featured a clip from Tropic Thunder, prompting a response from Ben Stiller, who directed, co-wrote and starred in the 2008 film.
“Hey White House, please remove the Tropic Thunder clip. We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie,” Stiller wrote on X.
It wasn’t the first time the White House has shared controversial videos splicing footage of the conflict and video games together.
Last Wednesday, the White House faced backlash after sharing a video of real missile strikes edited together with scenes from video game franchise Call of Duty.
The White House shared another video Friday that combined strike footage with a well-known clip of a character from Grand Theft Auto saying: “Ah s***, here we go again.”
After each strike, the word “wasted” flashed across the screen, referencing the message Grand Theft Auto players see when their character dies.
The White House captioned the video: “OPERATION EPIC FURY. Destroy Iran’s missile arsenal. Destroy their navy. Ensure they NEVER get a nuclear weapon. Locked in.”
In response to backlash over that video, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told 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.”
The Iranian government has said that at least 1,230 people have been killed in the war since it began February 28. At least 397 have been killed in Lebanon and 11 in Israel, according to the Associated Press.
Seven U.S. service members have been killed in active duty. The latest, 26-year-old Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, died Saturday after being seriously injured during an attack on U.S. troops at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, March 1, the Department of Defense said Monday.
The U.S. and Israel launched joint military strikes against Iran on February 28, killing dozens of Iranian officials, including the country’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian officials said Sunday that his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, would be his successor.
Iran has retaliated against Israel and U.S. bases and allies in the region, attacking at least 10 countries.
According to USA Today, Iran has launched attacks against targets in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain. Iranian forces have also attacked U.S. bases or intercepted assets in Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon. A British Royal Air Force base in Cyprus has also been targeted in the retaliatory attacks.
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