Donald Trump’s White House once again confused gaming with real-life war on Friday when the administration released a video featuring clips from Grand Theft Auto and what appear to be real footage of attacks on Iranian targets.

The post, part of a social media trolling presence aimed at stirring up anger among political opponents, comes a day after a similar one that combined war footage with Call of Duty clips. Both titles are first-person shooter video games that became popular among millennials.

The second Trump administration’s presence on social media has been characterized by an anger-inducing strategy that frequently provokes angry and indignant responses from commentators who are surprised to see the White House maintain such an unprofessional image online.

While Thursday’s video was posted with a simple caption, “Courtesy of Red, White and Blue,” the newest came with three bullet points outlining the apparent goals of “OPERATION EPIC FURY,” the actual name of President Trump’s military operation in Iran.

The post reads: “Destroy Iran’s missile arsenal. Destroy their navy. Make sure they NEVER get a nuclear weapon. Locked.”

It makes use of a “GTA: San Andreas” meme in which a man walks into a dangerous scene and says, “Ah, shit, here we go again.” The White House then cuts to unclassified military footage of attacks.

Once the target is reached (a truck, a ship, a building), a “GTA” style sign appears on the screen: “WASTED.”

The blatant lightness attracted dozens of critics: “Total lack of respect.” “War is not a video game.” “This is disgusting.”

The White House used a Grand Theft Auto meme to joke about the bombing of Iranian targets.
The White House used a Grand Theft Auto meme to joke about the bombing of Iranian targets.

the white house

Since the United States began airstrikes against Iran last weekend, six American service members have been killed. Trump appears to accept that the death toll may rise, warning several times over the past week that Americans “will die” as he wages a new war he vowed never to start.

In the past, whenever the White House has been criticized for its childish devotion to “owning the libraries” on social media, the administration has simply doubled down: copyright be damned.

There has been one notable exception: A Department of Homeland Security video montage of federal immigration officials detaining suspected immigrants to Sabrina Carpenter’s copyrighted song “Juno” was taken down late last year after the singer called it “evil.”