The White House’s use of pop-culture memes to project military bravado in its Iran campaign is facing growing backlash, with celebrities criticising the posts and social media users responding with a wave of mocking counter-memes. From Spongebob to Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto, the US’s gamification of its continuing attacks in West Asia are frequently displayed on the White House social media pages, mixing real Iran war visuals with footage from video games, Hollywood characters and superheroes. ADVERTISEMENTThe imagery of mass destruction is often paired with AC/DC’s Thunderstruck, with captions of the likes of ‘JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY.’With images from Top Gun, Gladiator, Braveheart and Iron Man, the White House meme factory seems to claim these superheroes as agents of American victory in Operation Epic Fury. One user wrote in a meme template, "Wake up honey, the White House is cringe-posting again." “But, in the end, we lose our humanity when we are thrilled by the destructive power of our military.

Source: The Telegraph March 15, 2026 10:05 UTC