Inside the White House plan to sell the Iran war online
Analysis Summary
This article wants you to believe the White House's current 'viral' war communication strategy is unconventional and problematic. It uses quotes from former military officials and political observers to suggest this approach is unserious and undermines the gravity of the conflict. The article emphasizes external criticism and the 'newness' of the strategy to create an us-vs-them dynamic, implying that traditional military figures and serious political observers disagree with this new White House approach.
FATE Analysis
Four dimensions of psychological manipulation: how content captures Focus, exploits Authority, triggers Tribal identity, and engineers Emotion.
Focus signals
"No previous administration ever tried to sell a war by making a video of legendary bowler Pete Weber landing a strike using computer-generated bowling pins to represent Iran’s military — all to a Lynyrd Skynyrd soundtrack."
This highlights the 'never before seen' nature of the administration's communication strategy, suggesting an extraordinary new approach.
"“Over a four day period, the videos that we put out had over 3 billion impressions,” said a senior White House official, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the administration’s communications strategy. “That blows away anything we’ve ever done in the second term.”"
The '3 billion impressions' and 'blows away anything we’ve ever done' phrases create a novelty spike, suggesting an unprecedented and highly effective communication method.
"“The approach does have parallels to Trump’s political operation during the 2024 campaign. “Their entire strategy is rage bait and getting as many views as they can,” said Lauren Kapp, a Democratic digital strategist and the founder of Luminary Strategies. “They don’t care if the engagement is bad or good. They want these videos to be seen by as many young, impressionable young people as possible.”"
This highlights the unique and potentially alarming nature of the strategy, framing it as extraordinary in its intent to capture attention, regardless of quality.
Authority signals
"“I don’t think the performance of our men and women in uniform requires embellishment from Hollywood or computer games,” said Joe Votel, a former Central Command chief during the first Trump administration."
Leverages the authority of a 'former Central Command chief' to criticize the White House's approach, lending weight to the disapproval.
"“It just seems detached from reality,” said retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, a two-star general who commanded U.S. troops in Europe during President Barack Obama’s second term. “Our allies look at this and they wonder, what the hell is going on. It doesn’t look like we’re serious.”"
Uses a 'retired Lt. Gen.' with specific command experience to add significant credibility to the criticism of the White House's methods.
"“The Trump administration’s approach to discussing the war against Iran is both unusual and unprecedented,” said Tom Ricks, a longtime military correspondent who is now a military historian and author. “With Hegseth at the helm, they are mixing incompetence and hubris. They don’t seem to care what the American public thinks, which is a dangerous approach.”"
Cites a 'longtime military correspondent who is now a military historian and author' to provide an authoritative assessment of the administration's approach as 'unusual and unprecedented,' and 'dangerous.'
"Joe Rogan, a well-known podcaster who helped Trump reach young men during his campaign, has blasted the Iran war as “nuts” and asserted that a number of his listeners feel “betrayed” by Trump’s focus on military adventurism."
Although not a traditional expert, Joe Rogan's 'well-known podcaster' status and his prior influence on Trump's campaign are leveraged to give his criticism weight among young men, serving as a form of celebrity endorsement or cultural authority.
Tribe signals
"But former officials have grimaced at the videos, be they the “Here comes the Boom” edit of NFL defensive players tackling others on offense in brutal fashion (captioned “Touchdown”), or other TikTok-style clips with MLB home runs, Grand Theft Auto, and featuring movies such as “Iron Man,” “Top Gun” and “Gladiator.”"
Creates a divide between the current administration's 'very online' communication staffers and 'former officials' who 'grimaced,' setting up an 'us vs. them' dynamic based on communication style and perceived seriousness.
"Some who have worn a uniform and sent troops into battle feel that the glib, gamer-ized packaging minimizes — and shows little respect for — the gravity of war."
Divides those 'who have worn a uniform and sent troops into battle' (the 'serious' and 'respectful' group) from those who create 'glib, gamer-ized' content (the 'disrespectful' group), weaponizing the perception of military service to delineate two opposing views.
"“It is appealing directly to the base, especially to these young, very online, 4chan MAGA people who, just like Trump, treat war like a video game,” said Max Burns, a Democratic strategist and founder of Third Degree Strategies. “You don’t see service members sharing this content.”"
Explicitly identifies a specific 'tribe' ('young, very online, 4chan MAGA people') and contrasts them with 'service members,' implying a division based on who embraces and who rejects the media strategy, thereby weaponizing identity.
Emotion signals
"Some who have worn a uniform and sent troops into battle feel that the glib, gamer-ized packaging minimizes — and shows little respect for — the gravity of war."
This statement is designed to evoke outrage or indignation by suggesting that the administration's communication style 'minimizes' the 'gravity of war' and shows 'little respect' for military personnel and their service.
"“Our allies look at this and they wonder, what the hell is going on. It doesn’t look like we’re serious.”"
This quote from a retired general aims to generate concern and potentially outrage by suggesting that the US is perceived as not 'serious' by its allies due to the administration's communication style, implying a risk to national standing.
"Hegseth has said the U.S. would give “no quarter, no mercy for our enemies,” an indication that troops should not spare the lives of their enemies, a potential war crime. Hegseth also referred to rules of engagement as “stupid” and to Iranian leaders as “rats” who are “cowering” underground."
This passage highlights potentially illegal and inflammatory rhetoric ('no quarter, no mercy,' 'potential war crime,' 'rats'), which could instill fear or outrage regarding the ethical implications of the administration's stance and its impact on military conduct.
Narrative Analysis (PCP)
How the article reshapes thinking: Perception (what beliefs are targeted), Context (what information is shifted or omitted), and Permission (what behavior is being encouraged).
The article aims to instill the belief that the current White House's 'viral communications strategy' for war is unconventional, possibly effective in its limited goal of engaging a specific young audience, but ultimately problematic and unserious in the eyes of military experts and some political observers. It wants readers to believe that this strategy is a significant departure from precedent and may be undermining the perceived seriousness of the conflict.
The article shifts the context from traditional, serious government communications about war to a 'viral communications strategy' that draws parallels with social media marketing and political campaigning. By highlighting the White House's focus on 'impressions' and 'content delivery' to 'young people,' it normalizes the idea that war can and should be 'sold' like any other product or political message in the digital age, framing it as an adaptation to 'a different time' and 'different audience.'
The article omits detailed context regarding the actual strategic objectives behind the 'war communications' beyond reaching young people and countering narratives. While it cites disapproval polls, it doesn't delve deeply into the specific geopolitical stakes of the conflict or the military's actual tactical and strategic communications (beyond the White House's viral efforts) to provide a fuller picture of the 'war communications' landscape. It focuses almost exclusively on the controversy of the 'viral' part, rather than the broader information war context.
The article nudges the reader toward a critical, somewhat skeptical stance regarding the White House's wartime communication strategy. It encourages questioning the appropriateness and effectiveness of using 'gamer-ized' and 'TikTok-style' content to discuss military conflict, particularly by highlighting the concerns of former military officials and political strategists. It implicitly grants permission for the reader to view this communication style as potentially unserious or even disrespectful to the gravity of war.
SMRP Pattern
Four manipulation maintenance tactics: Socializing the idea as normal, Minimizing concerns, Rationalizing with logic, and Projecting blame.
"Some who have worn a uniform and sent troops into battle feel that the glib, gamer-ized packaging minimizes — and shows little respect for — the gravity of war."
"No previous administration ever tried to sell a war by making a video of legendary bowler Pete Weber landing a strike using computer-generated bowling pins to represent Iran’s military — all to a Lynyrd Skynyrd soundtrack. But past administrations didn’t exist in the age of incessant group chats, TikTok and AI. 'We use every tool in our toolbox to ensure there’s proper messaging to correct the record, but also give our allies the ability to help sell our message,' the official said. 'Like what is ‘war communications’? What the former Bush people say? Well, if you want to talk about war communication under the Bush era — not great. ‘Mission accomplished’? It’s just a different time. It’s a different audience.'"
Red Flags
High-severity indicators: silencing dissent, coordinated messaging, or weaponizing identity to shut down debate.
"'Over a four day period, the videos that we put out had over 3 billion impressions,' said a senior White House official, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the administration’s communications strategy. 'That blows away anything we’ve ever done in the second term.' ... 'Polls show that a lot of young people are actually somewhat supportive of this war and our goal is to deliver content to them,' said the senior White House official, who is involved in the video efforts. 'What we’re doing is not disrespecting the American troops. To the contrary, we’re highlighting all the great work — the heroic work that they’ve been doing with these videos. We do it in a way that captivates an audience.' ... 'We’re over here just grinding away on banger memes, dude,' said the person, also granted anonymity to speak candidly. 'There’s an entertainment factor to what we do. But ultimately, it boils down to the fact that no one has ever attempted to communicate with the American public this way before.'"
"It is appealing directly to the base, especially to these young, very online, 4chan MAGA people who, just like Trump, treat war like a video game."
Techniques Found(6)
Specific propaganda techniques identified using the SemEval-2023 academic taxonomy of 23 techniques across 6 categories.
"Like what is ‘war communications’? What the former Bush people say? Well, if you want to talk about war communication under the Bush era — not great. ‘Mission accomplished’? It’s just a different time. It’s a different audience.”"
The White House official deflects criticism of their current communications strategy by pointing out the perceived failure of a past administration's communication (the 'Mission Accomplished' banner), implying that previous attempts were worse, thus excusing their own.
"“Their entire strategy is rage bait and getting as many views as they can,” said Lauren Kapp, a Democratic digital strategist and the founder of Luminary Strategies. “They don’t care if the engagement is bad or good. They want these videos to be seen by as many young, impressionable young people as possible.”"
The term 'rage bait' is emotionally charged and uses inflammatory language to describe the communications strategy negatively, suggesting an intent to provoke anger rather than inform.
"Hegseth also referred to rules of engagement as “stupid” and to Iranian leaders as “rats” who are “cowering” underground."
Calling Iranian leaders 'rats' is a derogatory label intended to dehumanize and create a negative perception of opponents without addressing their arguments or actions substantively.
"“It is appealing directly to the base, especially to these young, very online, 4chan MAGA people who, just like Trump, treat war like a video game,” said Max Burns, a Democratic strategist and founder of Third Degree Strategies."
The phrase '4chan MAGA people' is used with a negative connotation, linking a specific online community (often associated with controversial content) to the political base to frame them and their views unfavorably.
"Some who have worn a uniform and sent troops into battle feel that the glib, gamer-ized packaging minimizes — and shows little respect for — the gravity of war."
Accusing the videos of 'minimizing' the 'gravity of war' suggests that the communication strategy is understating the seriousness of military conflict, which is a form of minimization.
"Our allies look at this and they wonder, what the hell is going on. It doesn’t look like we’re serious.”"
Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges's quote expresses doubt about the seriousness and competency of the administration's actions based on the videos, questioning their credibility without offering direct evidence of specific failures.