White Houses wages meme war

The White House’s ‘memeification’ of war

From “Grand Theft Auto” to “SpongeBob SquarePants,” the White House has turned to memes from pop culture and video games to sell President Trump’s war with Iran. 

The videos follow a broader trend in the Trump administration’s social media strategy, which increasingly uses artificial intelligence, pop culture and at times sarcasm to promote Trump’s policy priorities and slam his political opponents. 

But those memes, which splice together popular kids’ shows or video games with actual footage of the U.S.-Israeli military campaign in Iran, are drawing backlash from lawmakers and experts, who say they go too far in blurring the line between unserious fiction and the realities of war. 

“It takes a really complicated and important situation — armed conflict — and boils it down to a little cartoon image,” Peter Loge, a political scientist at the George Washington University. “By making war like a game or cartoon, that removes the reality of war from people’s minds.”

The videos, ranging from five to 50 seconds long, began days into the conflict with Iran and have continued as the war approaches the two-week mark. Seven U.S. service members have died from Iranian attacks since military operations began, and the Pentagon estimated about 140 other members have been injured as of Tuesday. 

In one video posted Thursday, the White House spliced together clips from the animated “Wii Sports” game theme with videos of the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. At one point, an animated baseball player is shown at bat ahead of actual footage of a strike in Iran as a Wii narrator says “out of the park.”

It followed a post on Wednesday showing a former professional bowing player throwing a “strike” at bowling pins labeled “Iranian regime officials,” amid cheering crowds.

The social media posts came as the Trump administration struggled to have consistent messaging on the justification of the Iran war and how long the conflict could last. U.S. military forces have also utilized social media to provide daily updates on the ongoing operations. 

Loge, the director of the Project on Ethics in Political Communication at George Washington, compared the approach to professional wrestling, where “the point is the spectacle.” 

Read more in a full report this weekend at TheHill.com

Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, we’re Julia Shapero and Miranda Nazzaro — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.

Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future:

Hegseth blasts CNN: ‘The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better’

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth blasted CNN on Friday morning for its coverage of the Iran war, exclaiming that the “sooner” Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison “takes over that network, the better.”  “Fake news from CNN reports that the Trump administration underestimated the Iran war’s impact on the Strait of Hormuz. Patently ridiculous, of course. For decades, Iran has threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. This is …

Zelensky prods White House over ‘big drone production deal’ to counter Iran

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday poked at the White House over a “big drone production deal” that would allow Ukraine to help the U.S. and Gulf partners shoot down Iranian drones deployed across the region. Zelensky talked about the potential deal, which Axios reported was previously dismissed by the U.S. last year, in an interview with German journalist Gordon Repinski. “We wanted to sign …

Trump admin sues California over vehicle emission, greenhouse gas rules

(NewsNation) — The Trump administration announced Thursday the departments of Transportation and Justice have filed a suit against the state of California that argues the state’s zero-emission vehicle and tailpipe greenhouse gas emission rules are superseded by federal law. “The Justice Department … has filed suit to stop California from imposing an illegal electric vehicle mandate through what are effectively …

News we’ve flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics:

Musk says xAI must be rebuild amid co-founders’ exit (The Wall Street Journal) 

Steven Spielberg says he’s ‘never used AI’ in films (TechCrunch)

Trump meme coin tees up contest for Mar-a-Lago luncheon with president

© Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images

President Trump’s meme coin is hosting a contest to attend a conference and gala luncheon at his Mar-a-Lago resort next month. 

The top 297 investors in the $TRUMP token will secure a spot at the luncheon, where Trump will give a keynote address, according to the event’s website. The president will also attend a VIP reception with the top 29 investors.

The event is notably similar to a controversial dinner that Trump attended last year with the meme coin’s leading 200 investors.

It drew sharp backlash from Democrats, who argued the dinner was a “pay-to-play” scheme as investors poured millions of dollars into the token to secure one of the exclusive spots.

The meme coin, which Trump launched shortly before his inauguration last year, has even faced some pushback from within the cryptocurrency industry amid concerns that it could impede efforts at legislation.

Crypto Corner is a daily feature focused on digital currency and its outlook in Washington.

You’re all caught up. See you next week! 

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

More Technology Newsletter News

Bessent's interview halted for urgent talks in Situation Room: ‘The president ...

98-year-old federal judge suspended for mental fitness appeals to Supreme Court

Powell called these 13 lawmakers as DOJ opened criminal probe

House Republicans threaten to oppose Senate bills until SAVE America Act passes

Judge quashes grand jury subpoenas of Fed, Jerome Powell in renovations probe

Lawmaker who accused Trump of Kennedy Center snub missed invite in spam folder

Trump officials erupt at CNN over report on surprise over Strait of Hormuz ...

Republicans, Democrats warn Trump administration against pulling US troops from ...

Hegseth orders ‘ruthless, no-excuses’ review of military legal offices

Grenell exits Kennedy Center; Trump picks new executive director

Trump confirms giving officials dress shoes: ‘I don’t want my Cabinet ...

Landmark housing bill overwhelmingly passes Senate, faces uncertain future in ...

Judges decline to extend acting Virginia U.S. attorney’s tenure 

Military commanders given deadline to remove Anthropic products from systems

Leavitt pushes back against report of FBI warning of Iran threat to California

Hegseth says Iran’s supreme leader ‘wounded and likely disfigured’

The bright side of the 5th Circuit’s disturbing Ten Commandments decision

Trump says war with Iran will end when ‘I feel it in my bones’

© The Hill