Actor and filmmaker Ben Stiller publicly criticized The White House after its official social media account posted a video montage that included a clip from the 2008 film Tropic Thunder. Stiller said the filmmakers never granted permission for the clip to be used and rejected the video’s portrayal of warfare alongside cinematic entertainment.
“Hey White House, please remove the Tropic Thunder clip,” Stiller wrote on social media. “We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie.”
Stiller’s post was responding to a roughly 42-second montage shared by the official White House account a day earlier with the caption “JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY.” The video blended real, unclassified U.S. military footage of strikes against Iranian assets with rapid-cut clips from major films, television shows, and video games.
Hey White House, please remove the Tropic Thunder clip. We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie. https://t.co/dMQqRxxVCa
— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) March 6, 2026
The montage included pop-culture scenes from several well-known titles such as Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverickfighter-jet sequences featuring Tom Cruise, superhero scenes from Iron Man 2 starring Robert Downey Jr., and moments from Braveheart with Mel Gibson and Gladiator starring Russell Crowe.
The montage also incorporated video-game imagery and sound effects, including references to Mortal Kombat, which features the phrase “Flawless Victory!” during gameplay. The video concluded with text identifying it as originating from the White House under Donald Trump.
The clip from Tropic Thunder featured Cruise’s character Les Grossman dancing — a scene from the satirical comedy that mocked Hollywood’s tendency to dramatize warfare. Stiller directed, co-wrote, and starred in the film.
The White House montage appeared designed to present ongoing U.S. military operations — particularly strikes targeting Iranian assets — in a cinematic, high-energy style. The video combined combat footage with dramatic music, fast editing, and imagery from blockbuster entertainment.
The White House has released similar stylistic montages around the same time (e.g., pairing strikes with sports highlights like MLB/NFL clips), suggesting it’s part of a deliberate social media strategy to present military operations in a bold, meme-adjacent, hyper-masculine aesthetic aimed at rallying supporters.
Touchdown pic.twitter.com/aDNdqBdRzG
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 6, 2026
Stiller’s criticism centered on both the use of his film and the broader framing of war within the video.
“War is not a movie,” he wrote.
As of shortly after Stiller’s post, the White House had not publicly responded to the actor’s request or addressed questions about the use of film clips in the montage.