Master Chief’s Voice Actor Calls for Removal of Controversial ‘War Porn’ Video from White House

Last week, the White House’s X account shared a troubling video that combined footage and audio from Call of Duty with real-life missile strike images. The following day, it released a montage featuring clips from various films like Tropic Thunder, Braveheart, and Top Gun, again mixed with missile strike footage, captioned “Justice the American way.” These videos surfaced during the ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict involving Iran.

Among the clips was a moment of Master Chief declaring “Finishing this fight” from Halo 2. This prompted Steve Downes, the voice of Master Chief, to criticize the White House for using his voice in what he described as “disgusting and juvenile war porn.”

“It has come to my attention that there is at least one propaganda video circulating that was either produced or at the very least endorsed by the White House that uses images of Master Chief and uses my voice to support the war in Iran,” Downes stated in a message shared on X. “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. I demand that the producers of this disgusting and juvenile war porn remove my voice immediately.”

This isn’t the first instance of the White House incorporating Halo or Master Chief into its messaging. In October 2025, it tweeted an AI-generated image of Trump dressed as Master Chief saluting a U.S. flag (with 40 stars) in response to a GameStop tweet about the console wars ending with Halo coming to PlayStation. Shortly after, it also shared an image of Master Chief driving a Warthog to encourage people to join ICE.

Downes isn’t alone in urging the White House to stop its unauthorized use of pop culture in its messaging. Ben Stiller requested the removal of the Tropic Thunder clip from the same video, while The Pokémon Company has firmly opposed the White House’s Pokémon Pokopia MAGA meme. “Our mission is to bring the world together,” the company stated, “and that mission is not affiliated with any political viewpoint or agenda.”