Ben Stiller Slams White House for Using Tropic Thunder Clip for Trump Video

JAKARTA - Top actor and director Ben Stiller has launched a scathing criticism of the White House under Donald Trump's leadership. The protest was triggered by the use of a clip from his popular 2008 satirical film, Tropic Thunder, in a video upload on the government's official social media.

The video features a patriotic narrative but sparked controversy among film people. The White House post included a slogan titled "Justice the American Way" and featured a compilation of clips from various famous blockbuster films. In addition to Tropic Thunder, the video also includes footage from Braveheart, Top Gun, Superman, Transformers, Iron Man 2, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

The use of copyrighted material from Hollywood films is done to build the image of the President's leadership. Ben Stiller, who plays the character Tugg Speedman in the film, immediately gave a firm response through the X platform.

"Hey White House, please delete that Tropic Thunder clip. We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie," Stiller wrote in a furious tone.

This incident adds to the long list of feuds between the Trump administration and artists regarding the use of works without permission. Before the Stiller case, singer Kenny Loggins also came into the spotlight in October for his song, Danger Zone, which was used in a video depicting Trump flying over protesters.

Loggins stated, "This is an unauthorized use of my performance. No one asked my permission, which I would have surely denied."

Not only classic rock films and songs, modern pop musicians are not immune from piracy. Last year, Sabrina Carpenter's song Juno was used in a video depicting an immigration raid (ICE). The same thing happened to Taylor Swift last November, where her song, The Fate of Ophelia, was used as the background music for a celebratory video despite Trump often attacking Swift on social media.

This trend of using popular content by the White House seems to be a social media strategy to attract the attention of the masses. However, artists consider this action as a form of "kidnapping" creative works for certain political agendas.

For Stiller and other colleagues, the involvement of their work in the government's narrative often contradicts the original values of the work. Ben Stiller's criticism emphasizes the clear boundaries between entertainment and harsh political reality.

With the statement "War is not a movie," Stiller wants to remind that serious issues of the country should not be simplified into cinematic spectacles that obscure facts on the ground. Until now, the White House has not given an official response to the request to remove the clip. This phenomenon also triggered a wider discussion about copyright on government social media and how the law protects works of art from the use of one-sided political interests in the future.