The White House administration recently utilized footage from films, TV series, and anime in a video it released.
A significant controversy has erupted in the United States following a post by the official White House account on X (formerly Twitter). The post featured a video that juxtaposed clips from popular movies, TV shows, and video games with actual footage of joint US-Israeli airstrikes in Iran from late February. This integration of pop culture characters into a context of military action drew sharp criticism not only from many members of the public but also from several prominent cultural figures.
Among the first to react was Steve Downes, the voice actor behind Master Chief from the iconic “Halo” game series. He stated emphatically that his voice was used without authorization and expressed profound displeasure at its deployment in political propaganda.
It has come to my attention that at least one propaganda video, created or at least approved by the White House, is circulating, using images of Master Chief and my voice to support the war in Iran. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not participate in the creation of this video, I was not consulted, and I do not approve of the use of my voice in this video, nor the message it conveys. I demand that the creators of this disgusting and infantile war pornography immediately remove my voice.
— Steve Downes, voice actor.