White House releases video promoting ‘justice the American way’ featuring Hollywood characters

A Hollywood-themed propaganda video released by the White House promising "justice the American way" for Iran runs 42 seconds and was posted on the official X account of the White House on Thursday.

“A Hollywood-themed propaganda video released by the White House promising “justice the American way” for Iran features movie stars from Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and promotes characters including a corrupt lawyer, a drug dealer and a freedom fighter who stands up to the overwhelming force of an invading foreign army”

The Guardian

The clip features movie stars from Australia, New Zealand and Canada and promotes characters described in the article as including a corrupt lawyer, a drug dealer and a freedom fighter who stands up to the overwhelming force of an invading foreign army.

The Guardian

The video was met with almost universal mockery online, with comments accusing the Trump administration of immaturity and likening its social media strategy to one run by teenagers.

The sequence opens with a scene from Iron Man 2, with Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark saying "Wake up, Daddy's home" as he claps his hands to activate a bank of computers.

It then cuts to Russell Crowe in Gladiator and Mel Gibson in Braveheart, with a note that Gibson was born in New York before moving to Sydney as a child.

The Guardian

The edit shows Tom Cruise in Top Gun.

The video includes Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) screaming "You can't conceive of what I'm capable of."

Keanu Reeves (described as born in Beirut and a Canadian citizen) says "I'm thinking I'm back!" in John Wick.

Bryan Cranston declares "I AM the danger!"

The rest of the video shows costumed and cartoon action heroes and includes Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary.

It ends with the voice line "flawless victory" from Mortal Kombat over the caption "The White House."

Some featured actors, including Downey Jr and Cranston, have been outspoken critics of Trump.

“A Hollywood-themed propaganda video released by the White House promising “justice the American way” for Iran features movie stars from Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and promotes characters including a corrupt lawyer, a drug dealer and a freedom fighter who stands up to the overwhelming force of an invading foreign army”

The Guardian

Downey Jr campaigned for Kamala Harris during the run-up to the 2024 presidential election.

Cranston told the Guardian in 2017 he was 'disheartened' that Trump won and has previously called him a 'Shakespearean serio-tragic-comedic character,' later denouncing his 'demagoguery' at the 2019 Tony awards.

The article notes the Trump administration has increasingly used provocative visuals that mirror the president's confrontational social media strategy.

It cites a January instance when it digitally manipulated a photograph of a woman arrested at an immigration protest to make it appear she was crying.

The article describes past AI-driven images critics have called 'slopaganda,' including one last October portraying Trump dumping feces on US citizens at No Kings protests.

The article says it is unclear when, or if, the White House secured permission to use the clips in the latest video.

It adds that countless high-profile artists and musicians, including Abba, Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, George Harrison and the Rolling Stones, have clashed with the White House after it used their material without consultation.