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Image Courtesy of Matt Wade

On Friday, March 6, 2026, CNN’s Jake Tapper blasted the Trump administration’s video posts for depicting the Iranian conflict “like a game” after the White House released clips on social media mixing footage of what appeared to be US military strikes with clips from video games and Hollywood productions.

Tapper commented on “The Lead,” “Well, the last day or so, the White House has been in at least one way treating going to war like a game, frivolously releasing what we will charitably call hype videos about their war.”

The ‘hype’ clips were posted by the official White House account on X. Tapper played them and then sarcastically asked, “Are you not amused?”

Post Purpose?

It seems the posts were meant to promote the ongoing US-Israeli operation in Iran, but have drawn criticism online. Many users argue that the message is sensationalist and lacks the seriousness expected during a major international conflict. It truly could be viewed as propaganda.

The negative response to the ‘promotional’ posts has not deterred the White House.

“W’s in the chat, boys!” Was the comment from White House Communications Director Stecen Cheung in response to the pushback on X.

Additionally, the CNN host criticized the White House for a montage posted Thursday night featuring a smash cut of movies and television shows with the caption, “JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY.”

Tapper said, “It is perhaps worth noting that many of the folks, the characters the White House is lionizing in those clips are actually bad guys in those works of fiction, referencing Walter White from ‘Breaking Bad,’ Kylo Ren from ‘Star Wars,’ and Saul Goodman from ‘Better Call Saul.’ Does the White House even care who the good guys and the bad guys are these days?”

In response to Tapper’s post, Cheung thanked the network for covering the “banger” videos.

Video Description

The posts combine real war footage with clips from movies and video games, and phrases like “wasted” over images of explosions, and end with a voiceover saying “flawless victory” — audio from the “Mortal Kombat” video.

The captions for the ‘promotional’ posts seem to display the reason for Operation Epic Fury: “Destroy Iran’s missile arsenal. Destroy their navy. Ensure they NEVER get a nuclear weapon.” The last video post adds, “Locked in.”

Collected Criticism

Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth is an Iraq War veteran who was wounded in combat. She commented on the White House video post: “War is not a f—– video game. Six Americans are dead, and thousands more are at needless risk because of your illegal, unjustified war. And you’re calling this a flawless victory.”

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said: “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.”

Sources:

The Hill: Tapper blasts Trump administration for depicting Iran conflict ‘like a game’
Reuters: SpongeBob, Iron Man and Call of Duty: Inside the US meme war against Iran
ABC News: White House posts so-called ‘hype’ videos combining real Iran war footage alongside movie, video game clips

Featured Image Courtesy of Matt Wade’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License

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