‘Operation Epstein Distraction’: Trump’s bloody Iran ‘hype videos’ seem to target niche audience

As the war with Iran approaches its second week, the White House and officials affiliated with the Trump administration have shared on X a series of short, rapidly edited hype videos.

The videos blend rap and EDM, action-movie clips and video-game heads-up displays with apparently real footage of American ordnance striking Iranian military targets.

The Guardian

The Guardian reports the videos aggressively and tastelessly display deadly combat footage.

The Guardian reports the videos appear tailored to online tastes and seem aimed at a niche domestic audience.

The article notes it is unclear whether those Gen Z males universally appreciate the messaging.

The article also notes it is unclear if the White House obtained permissions for the film and music used.

The Guardian gives specific examples.

One video, released on Thursday and captioned "JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY", is under a minute and mixes footage from Braveheart, Gladiator and Iron Man with real combat strikes while pulsing electronic dance music plays and Russell Crowe says, "Strength and honor," and Mel Gibson demands, "What will you do without freedom?"

The Guardian

Another, captioned "Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue", opens with a Call of Duty–style air-strike call and uses a video-game heads-up display that scores "100 points" as US bombs destroy Iranian vehicles and facilities.

A third melds Grand Theft Auto clips with periscope footage of a US torpedo destroying an Iranian warship and flashes "WASTED."

The piece also recalls a 2023 incident when a DeSantis campaign staffer was fired after producing an unauthorized video that included a Sonnenrad symbol.

The Guardian argues the videos appear less aimed at persuading the American public than at pacifying "a very online, very male, and often younger segment of the Maga "new right"".

It cites an NPR/PBS/Marist survey showing just 36% of the public approve of Trump’s handling of the war.

The article links the style of the hype edits to the rhetoric of Pete Hegseth, the US secretary of defense, saying he has railed against political correctness, boasted of US military prowess and promised "unapologetic death and destruction on Iran".

It notes Hegseth previously lobbied for pardons for US soldiers accused or convicted of war crimes and is known for Christian nationalist tattoos including a Jerusalem cross, the slogan "Deus Vult," and the word "kafir".

Online responses on X, the article reports, mocked the edits as "stupid," called the US a "cat's-paw of Israel," labelled Hegseth "GI Joke," suggested the war be known as "Operation Epstein Distraction," and a former Heritage Foundation staffer wrote, "We want mass deportations, the legislative agenda you campaigned on, and no more wars."