Featured Image Credit: X / The White House
The White House is being drawn into battle, but not in the way you might expect. President Trump is currently dealing with the aftermath of Operation Epic Fury as the USA launched strikes on Iran, with fears of World War III swirling as we enter a new realm of warfare.
Despite Anthropic's spectacular falling out with the government, it's said that its artificial intelligence tech was used against Iran, while retaliation was swift and even potentially took out a major Amazon tech hub.
Drones aren't the only futuristic tech being used in this latest conflict, with social media proving to be just as powerful a tool as ever.
Iran cut off its internet during June 2025's Twelve-Day War, while the USA has already had to deny rumors that it told military personnel to turn off their location services. Social media can easily be weaponized, and with the White House presumably knowing this, it faces more backlash for its latest campaign.
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Musicians like Sabrina Carpenter and Kesha have been critical of the government using their music to promote its own agenda, while Tropic Thunder's Ben Stiller has just demanded the White House remove a clip from the 2008 movie that was used in a recent montage.
Promoting the supposed success of Operation Epic Fury, the White House used clips of everything from Breaking Bad to John Wick, Braveheart to Star Wars, all as a way to celebrate the strikes on Iran.
There are further calls for both Nintendo and Rockstar Games to sue the Trump administration after Pokemon and GTA were used in similar social media posts, but joining the long list of those who are unimpressed with these pop culture campaigns, Halo legend Steve Downes has made his feelings clear.
While Halo has since lost its Xbox exclusivity, it's still a goliath of the gaming scene.
Responding to the “Justice the American Way” video that's been shared on X and TikTok, Downes said that it has come to his attention that a video either created or endorsed by the White House included footage of Master Chief. In particular, one line uses his voice as the armor-clad hero says, "I'm finishing this fight."
Condemning the White House, Downes added: "Let me make this crystal clear. I did not participate in nor was I consulted, nor do I endorse the use of my voice in this video, or the message it conveys.”
Laying down the law, Downes concluded: "I demand that the producers of this disgusting and juvenile war porn remove my voice immediately."
This wouldn't be the first time the White House has jumped on the back of Halo's fame, previously using AI to depict President Trump as Master Chief himself.
While Downes has plenty of supporters, one critic wrote: "Master Chief was, 'Bred for combat, built for war' according to the original packaging for Halo CE. So, the entire idea from the beginning was glorifying war for fun. Do you denounce your career?"
Someone else chimed in saying: "It's pretty sad that you're [sic] whole career is basically cosplaying a war hero and then you have the gall to denounce this. You suck just as much as Halo does now."
On Downes' side, another said: "Holy f**king W from Chief."
A fourth concluded: "Administration so reprehensible they pissed off master chief. 'juvenile war porn' is a more scathing critique of this WH propaganda machine than anyone else with this kind of platform has been willing to say so far. refreshing."
