Two days ago, on March 4, the White House released a controversial promotional video on its verified X account. The Trump administration shared a 66-second clip highlighting ongoing joint military strikes by the U.S. and Israel on Iran. However, the video sparked immediate public backlash. It mixed unclassified real-world military footage with gameplay from the 2023 video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (MW3).
Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue. pic.twitter.com/kTO0DZ56IJ
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 4, 2026
Call of Duty: MW3 Gameplay Meets Geopolitics
The video explicitly features an MGB Killstreak activation from Modern Warfare 3. Furthermore, the entire montage plays to the beat of Childish Gambino’s 2011 debut single, “Bonfire”. The White House captioned the post:
Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue.
These joint strikes on Iran began last week, on February 28, 2026. Washington officials claim Iran recently restarted its nuclear weapons program. Additionally, they state Iran is developing long-range missiles capable of striking the United States. President Trump cited these specific reasons during his recent 2026 State of the Union address. Previously, the U.S. conducted a similar series of strikes on Iran in June 2025, codenamed “Midnight Hammer”.
Public & Industry Backlash
Social media users quickly condemned the video. Commenters across Reddit and X called the montage “cringe” and “inappropriate”. Many critics argued that using a video game to promote military action shows a severe lack of professionalism and seriousness from the government.
Interestingly, this public messaging clashes directly with President Trump’s historical track record. In the past, he frequently blamed video games for real-world violence. On the other hand, some netizens defended the post. They pointed out that the Call of Duty franchise has a long history of glorifying the U.S. military anyway.
Industry professionals also weighed in on the controversy. Former Infinity Ward developer Chance Glasco criticized the post. However, he noted the video did not surprise him. Glasco shared a story from around 2010 when Activision unsuccessfully pressured developers to create a Call of Duty game centered entirely on Iran attacking Israel. The development team ultimately rejected that idea.
Microsoft’s Silence & the Real-World Toll
Currently, it remains unclear whether Activision or its parent company, Microsoft, granted the White House permission to use the Call of Duty: MW3 footage. While this marks the first time the Trump administration used Call of Duty clips, they previously utilized footage from other Microsoft-owned games. These include Minecraft and the Halo series. Previously, Microsoft declined to comment on the government using its games in this manner.
Meanwhile, the real-world conflict continues to escalate. According to a Reuters estimate published yesterday, March 5, the hostilities have resulted in over 1,200 casualties. The majority of these casualties are Iranian. Additionally, six U.S. service members lost their lives in Kuwait earlier this month.
