The Trump administration intermixed footage of military explosions with Major League Baseball and National Football League highlights in a pair of social media posts Friday.
The White House posted the two videos — one dedicated to baseball and the other to football — at a time when the U.S. is engaged in armed conflict in the Middle East. In the videos, sports highlights set to music cut away to what appears to be aerial footage of airstrikes reaching ground targets. MLB and the NFL have not commented on whether the leagues received advance notice of the posts, or whether they granted the White House permission to use their highlights.
The 27-second-long baseball reel, posted to X with the caption “Pure American dominance,” features in-game clips of former stars Barry Bonds, Cecil Fielder, Ken Griffey Jr., Mark McGwire, Alex Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa. When the sluggers take their home run swings, the reel cuts to explosions at unspecified sites. The word “Unclassified” flashes on the screen when the blasts go off, suggesting the videos could be sourced from the U.S. military. No date or locale is specified, and no individuals are visible during the blasts.
Pure American dominance. 💥🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/nvgWLar2ak
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 6, 2026
The 33-second NFL video, posted with the caption “Touchdown,” features big hits from the likes of Sheldon Brown, Ryan Clark, Ed Reed and Ray Lewis. The footage cuts to the military explosions at the point of impact. Two college football highlights featuring Nebraska, Wisconsin, Oklahoma and Florida are also included.
Touchdown pic.twitter.com/aDNdqBdRzG
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 6, 2026
Major sports leagues regularly tell the public that express written consent is required to use their footage. The baseball and football players unions both declined to comment.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A day earlier, the White House posted a similar video featuring action-movie highlights. That video drew condemnation from actor Ben Stiller, who objected to the use of a clip from “Tropic Thunder.”
“Hey White House, please remove the Tropic Thunder clip,” Stiller posted on X. “We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie.”
U.S. Central Command said Friday that the nation has carried out 3,000 airstrikes against Iran since it began military operations in that country. The U.S. and Israel launched coordinated attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, and the fighting has expanded to multiple countries throughout the Middle East. Hundreds have already died in the conflict, which President Donald Trump has said could last for weeks.
Trump has paid great attention to major sports leagues throughout his presidency, and that continued this week as the conflict in the Middle East unfolded. The White House on Friday hosted a college sports roundtable with conference commissioners, university administrators and media stakeholders, but didn’t include athletes. A day earlier, Lionel Messi and Inter Miami of Major League Soccer visited the White House. That followed a visit by the gold medal-winning U.S. men’s hockey team on Feb. 24, which also attended his State of the Union address and received an ovation.
In addition to Stiller’s objection earlier this week, other businesses and individuals have also spoken out against the White House’s use of intellectual property. Pokémon said Thursday that the White House did not have permission to use its imagery after the administration posted a meme with some of its popular characters, including Pikachu.
“We are aware of recent social content that includes imagery associated with our brand,” Sravanthi Dev, a company spokeswoman, said in a statement obtained by The New York Times. “We were not involved in its creation or distribution, and no permission was granted for the use of our intellectual property. Our mission is to bring the world together, and that mission is not affiliated with any political viewpoint or agenda.”
Dozens of musicians have also objected to the administration’s use of their music. In 2024, the band The White Stripes dropped a lawsuit it had filed against the Trump campaign over the use of the song “Seven Nation Army.”
— Mike Jones contributed to this report.