Ben Stiller criticized the White House for using a clip from his 2008 satirical action film “Tropic Thunder.”
A day earlier, Donald Trump’s administration posted a montage video on the social platform X featuring scenes from several films, captioned “JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY.” The post appeared shortly after the United States and Israel jointly began launching strikes against Iran.
“Hey White House, please remove the Tropic Thunder clip,” Stiller wrote on X. “We never gave you permission and have no interest in being part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie.”
Stiller has long been a vocal critic of President Trump and the policies of his administration. The actor signed a letter in support of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel after the chair of the Federal Communications Commission pressured ABC to suspend the comedian over remarks he made about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The actor also appeared in campaign advertisements for former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 race and made substantial donations in support of her presidential bid.
This is not the first time—even this week—that a Trump-linked White House account has drawn criticism from figures in the entertainment industry for using copyrighted material without permission.
On Tuesday, pop singer Kesha also rebuked the administration for using her song “Blow” in a video featuring footage of military strikes.
“I have learned that the White House used one of my songs on TikTok to incite violence and threaten war,” Kesha later wrote on Instagram. “Attempts to portray war in a lighthearted way are disgusting and inhumane.”
White House communications director Steven Cheung dismissed the criticism from artists. “All these ‘singers’ keep falling for it,” he wrote on X.
“It only draws more attention to us and boosts views of our videos, because people want to see exactly what they are complaining about,” he added.
After singer Sabrina Carpenter expressed outrage in December over the use of her song “Juno” in a video promoting operations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the White House removed the post.
“This video is vile and disgusting,” Carpenter wrote on X. “Never involve me or my music in promoting your inhumane agenda.”
The White House later posted an edited clip featuring the singer from the show “Saturday Night Live.”