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When war becomes a meme

Why the Trump administration is gamifying war.

Since the war with Iran began, the White House has been posting videos featuring the US military bombing targets in Iran, interspersed with clips from video games, sports highlights, and Hollywood movies. The White House says the videos are meant to highlight the success of the US military.

Some of the captions read like this: “JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY.” Others list goals for “Operation Epic Fury,” including: “Destroy Iran’s missile arsenal,” “Destroy their navy,” and “Ensure they NEVER get a nuclear weapon.” And ending with the words, “Locked in.”

Propaganda has always been a part of war. But it hasn’t always been this unserious.

To better understand how propaganda has been used in the past — and how the White House is using it now — we spoke with Nick Cull, a professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism who specializes in the history of propaganda.

Below is an excerpt from Cull’s conversation with Today, Explained co-host Noel King, edited for........

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