Hollywood Star Slams White House for Using “Tropic Thunder” Clip in Pro-War Propaganda
Renowned actor and director Ben Stiller has publicly condemned the White House for repurposing a clip from his hit comedy film Tropic Thunder in a social media video promoting military action. The 42-second video, which appears to be a montage of recent strikes on Iran, intersperses footage of actual military operations with scenes from various blockbuster movies, including Iron Man 2, Gladiator, and Braveheart.
A scene from the film Tropic Thunder, featuring Tom Cruise as the character Les Grossman.
The specific segment from Tropic Storm that drew Stiller’s ire features Tom Cruise in his indelible character as the foul-mouthed studio executive Les Grossman, shown dancing. Stiller took to social media platform X to voice his strong disapproval, stating, “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.”
The controversial video culminates with footage of a U.S. strike on an Iranian ship, followed by an animated character’s declaration, “Now end this!” The White House logo then appears, accompanied by the phrase “Flawless Victory,” a clear nod to the popular Mortal Kombat video game series. The clip was captioned: “JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY.”
This incident follows a wave of criticism the White House faced just days prior for sharing a video that combined real missile strike footage with scenes from the video game franchise Call of Duty. Undeterred by the backlash, the White House released another video on Friday. This latest compilation also featured strike footage, but this time paired with an infamous clip from the Grand Theft Auto video game series, where a character exclaims, “Ah s*, here we go again.” Following each strike depicted in the video, the word “wasted” flashed across the screen, a direct reference to the message players receive in Grand Theft Auto when their in-game character dies.
White House Defends Use of Media and Video Game Clips
When approached for comment, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly defended the administration’s actions. She stated, “Under the decisive leadership of President Trump, America’s heroic warfighters are meeting or surpassing all of their goals under Operation Epic Fury.” Kelly further asserted, “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.”
Mounting Casualties and Investigations into Civilian Strikes
The use of such imagery by the White House comes amidst a backdrop of significant conflict and alleged civilian casualties. The Iranian government has reported that at least 1,230 people have been killed in the attacks, according to a report from the Associated Press on Thursday.
Furthermore, military investigators have indicated that U.S. forces are likely responsible for a strike that hit a girls’ school in southern Iran, as reported by Reuters on Thursday, citing two U.S. officials. Iranian officials have stated that over 175 people, including 150 students, perished in that incident.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed the allegations on Wednesday, telling reporters that officials were investigating the school incident and reiterated that the U.S. “would never target civilian targets.” When questioned on the same day about whether U.S. strikes were responsible for the deaths, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to reporters, “Not that we know of.” Leavitt also informed Reuters, “While the Department of War is currently investigating this matter, the Iranian regime targets civilians and children, not the United States of America.” The Independent has reached out to the White House for further comment.
