A satirical video game criticizes Donald Trump’s handling of Iran war
An anonymous art protest group has installed the anti-war satirical video game “Operation Epic Furious: Passage to Hell” at the DC War Memorial.
- Operation Epic Furious: Strait to Hell is a satirical arcade game about the Iran War by The Secret Handshake.
- This arcade cabinet was originally installed in DC and is currently located in Lake Worth Beach, Florida, about 8 miles from Mar-a-Lago.
The group behind statues of President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein in the “Titanic” pose is bringing its latest project to Florida.
“Operation Epic Furious: Straits to Hell” is an installation originally installed at the DC War Memorial by the anonymous arts protest group The Secret Handshake. The group said in an email that three functional video game cabinets in Washington, D.C., depicted cynical battles against DEI and the Pope, satirizing the Trump administration’s push for war with Iran.
As of May 18th, one of the games is located near President Trump’s Winter White House in Florida. “Operation Epic Furious” will be on display for five days at MTN SPACE in Lake Worth Beach, about eight miles from Mar-a-Lago. This is the first time the group has brought a project to Florida, but Trump’s club typically closes after Mother’s Day, when the social season ends.
“The Trump administration knows the best way to sell combat is to make it into a video game, which is why they’ve been pumping out a hype reel of the ‘worst’ video game about the Iran war,” a plaque at the facility reads, according to The Secret Handshake. “Brace yourselves and play hard, because this game may never end.”
Operation Epic Furious comes with an online video game
The Trump administration has been working to communicate about the war through memes on social media, some of which include video game clips.
The online version of the video game “Operation Epic Furious” quotes Trump’s Truth Social post in which he said, “Perhaps the entire civilization will perish tonight and never rise again.” He posted the post on April 7 as part of a long-term threat to Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the same night the United States and Iran reached a cease-fire agreement.
The online video game begins by allowing users to guide President Trump through a pixelated White House and interact with other officials in the administration, prompting choices such as ordering a Diet Coke or burning the Epstein files. However, if the user chooses to ask to hold First Lady Melania Trump’s hand, it’s game over. The White House did not respond to USA TODAY’s earlier request for comment about the video game and the installation.
According to Secret Handshake, more than 250,000 people have played the game online.
What else did the secret handshake lead to?
Secret Handshake previously told USA TODAY that it is a small group of citizens that uses art and humor to encourage political discussion.
Their other projects include a statue depicting Trump and Epstein in a “Titanic” pose and holding hands, poking fun at Friendship Month. An eight-foot-tall sculpture of a hand crushing the Statue of Liberty’s crown while making a thumbs-up gesture, dubbed the “Dictator Approved” piece. and a “golden television statue” showing footage of Trump dancing with Epstein.
Contributed by: Kristina Webb, Kathryn Palmer, Kate Perez, Carlie Procell, USA TODAY Network
Kinsey Crowley is a Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Please contact KCrowley@usatodayco.com. follow her X (Twitter), thread, blue sky and TikTok.
