What if Chris Pratt was the main character in 2014? lego movie Donald Trump, destined to save the world from tyrannical capitalists, became the protagonist of dozens of unofficial short sequels.
The inevitable sequel, produced by a series of Iranian-affiliated AI studios, became the defining image of the digital propaganda wars in the Middle East conflict.
The well-produced video repeats anti-Semitic themes over and over again. The US president as an angry fool, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the devil pulling the strings, the cover-up of the Epstein file, and more generally Iran’s alleged superiority over the US and Israel.
Each video, set to American-accented rap music or electronic dance tracks, regularly receives millions of views on X, TikTok and Facebook, all apps that are banned or blocked in Iran. Recent lyrics in a video full of modern political references include Sunday’s suggestion: “The Strait of Hormuz is still closed and will only open if Imam Khamenei says so. Not because of your tweets, but because of some idiot’s posts.”
Last week, FBI Director Kash Patel was also the subject of a video in which another person lampooned President Trump as a “fake Jesus,” following a much-publicized but now-deleted post in which the president portrayed himself as a holy figure. atlantic ocean The magazine reported on his “excessive drinking” and unexplained absences. Patel is suing the publication over the article.
“Crazy eyes, Epstein files a cover-up. Trump’s name redacted, Congress obstructed,” the rapper sings over the depiction of the FBI director, who was drinking heavily while wearing a U.S. hockey jersey after appearing at the team’s gold medal celebration at the recent Winter Olympics. There is no mention of the Iranian regime’s corruption or oppression of its own people.
According to Mr. Explosive, a representative from Explosive Media, a major producer of these videos, these videos are all part of an unofficial strategy to position the war as a real Iranian confrontation against a duplicitous America and Israel.
But in an interview with the BBC about a week ago, Explosive said for the first time that the Iranian government was a “customer.” The studio has started production lego movieStyles’ videos were released last June and increased in number after the Iran war broke out in late February. The company previously claimed to be completely “independent.”
Explosive said Lego is a “world language” and using real war footage would be detrimental to viewers.
The video has been picked up and shared hundreds, if not thousands, of times by everyone from unaffiliated news accounts and influencers to state-affiliated actors. Russia today or Tehran Times.
These videos capitalize on the US government’s own online trolling strategy. “Iran is probably being guided a little bit by the U.S.’s actions,” said digital investigator Benjamin Strick.
During the conflict, the Trump administration posted actual footage of missile strikes in gamified or comedic contexts to desensitize viewers and assert that victory in the war was at hand.
“It’s also about shareability. People like me and you might post and say, ‘Hahaha, look at all this jokey stuff Iran is doing,’ but it shows that we’re still involved,” Strick said.
This is a major departure from past Iranian propaganda, which used national anthem-style music rather than utilizing songs more closely aligned with the Western zeitgeist.
Mr. Explosive said. Top comments, The BBC’s social media-focused podcast says his small team of about 10 people writes the lyrics and uses artificial intelligence to make them more relevant to American culture and audiences.
These videos also lean heavily into anti-Semitic tropes, portraying Prime Minister Netanyahu as a bloodthirsty figure or someone pulling the strings behind America’s foreign policy approach.
Tzvi Fleischer of the Australian Council on Israeli and Jewish Affairs said the videos featured clearly anti-Semitic themes. He says Iran has been the world’s most important sponsor of anti-Semitism for decades.
“The current video fixation on America’s Epstein pedophile scandal and its depiction of Trump and the bloodthirsty Zionist puppet masters who control America should be seen in the context of that ugly record,” Fleischer said.
Mr. Explosive “strongly rejects” claims that the video is anti-Semitic, insisting that the video is nothing more than anti-Zionist. He says the depiction of Netanyahu drinking blood is “to highlight the regime’s brutality.”
The LEGO Group did not respond to requests for comment.
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Callum Jaspan is a Melbourne-based media writer for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Contact him securely on Signal @calumjaspan.10Connect via X or Email.
