Why is the White House gamifying war on social media?

The US-Israel war with Iran has continued into a second week, with America’s allies still scrambling to respond. Oil prices are dominating the headlines with the cost of a barrel exceeding $100 for the first time since 2022.

In this episode, Justin, Marianna and Anthony join Matt Chorley on 5 Live to answer your questions about the war, including whether Europe still needs to cooperate with the White House, and whether Trump’s war is motivated by oil.

Meanwhile, the White House is uploading social media videos of the war in Iran interspersed with online memes, TV shows and video games. Is it just rage bait or is the “gamification” of war upon us? And what does that actually mean?

Plus, former homeland security head Kristi Noem has faced the wrath of Trump’s signature ‘you’re fired!’ catchphrase, becoming the first cabinet secretary to be sacked in Trump’s second term. A White House official said this was “a culmination of her many unfortunate leadership failures”.

After predicting her demise on a recent episode, Justin, Marianna and Anthony discuss why Noem was sacked and what this means for the Trump administration. Plus, is Pete Hegseth the secretary for war or defence? And has the level of scrutiny changed for American leadership since the days of Obama’s tan suit?

HOSTS:

- Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter - Marianna Spring, Social Media Investigations Senior Correspondent - Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent - Matt Chorley, 5 Live presenter

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This episode was made by Rufus Gray, Grace Reeve, Mhairi MacKenzie and Harry Craig. The technical producer was Jack Graysmark. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

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