Ben Stiller spoke out against the White House for using a clip of Tropic Thunder in their latest social media post following the strike on Iran.
“Hey White House, please remove the Tropic Thunder clip,” the actor, 60, wrote via X on Friday, March 6. “We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie.”
On Thursday, March 5, the official White House X account posted a clip that included Stiller’s satire movie about the Vietnam War which also starred Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. The post was a montage of other war moments from films and featured additional snippets from Braveheart, Top Gun, Superman, Transformers, Iron Man 2, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and more.
“JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY. 🇺🇸🔥,” read the caption.
Last weekend, President Donald Trump and the White House confirmed that the United States launched an airstrike on Iran which killed the country’s leader Ali Khamenei. Khamenei was 86. In a statement shared via social media on Saturday, February 28, Trump, 79, called Khamenei “one of the most evil people in history.”
“This is not only justice for the people of Iran, but for all great Americans,” he said at the time.
The following day, the White House gave an update on the conflict which Trump has referred to as “Operation Epic Fury.”
“Earlier today, CENTCOM shared the news that three U.S. military service members have been killed in action,” the White House said via X on Sunday, March 1. “As one nation, we grieve for the true American patriots, who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation… We send our immense love & eternal gratitude to the families of the fallen.”
Stiller is not the only figure in Hollywood to ask the Trump administration to refrain from using their intellectual property. Earlier this week, Kesha slammed the White House for featuring her song “Blow” in a pro-war video.
“It’s come to my attention that The White House has used one of my songs on TikTok to incite violence and threaten war [prior to the Iran conflict],” the singer, 39, wrote via her Instagram Story on Monday, March 2. “Trying to make light of war is disgusting and inhumane. I absolutely do NOT approve of my music being used to promote violence of any kind.”
Sabrina Carpenter also previously requested the White House to not use her song “Juno” on a video the administration used for the controversial ICE raids.
