Warner Bros Silent As Trump Uses ‘Batman,’ Nirvana & HBO’s ‘John Adams’ For Latest MAGA Agitprop
Donald Trump and the Department of Homeland Security are reaching deep into HBO archives and lifting some of the Caped Crusader’s words to pitch themselves as America’s great defenders.
In videos posted over the past two days on the White House and DHS social media feeds, the media-savvy administration uses footage of Paul Giamatti from 2008’s *John Adams* miniseries, featuring a pivotal monologue, as well as a classic Nirvana tune from 2022’s *The Batman*.
As you can see below, the trippy “The last best hope of man on Earth” video includes a close-up of Giamatti in his Emmy-winning role as the USA’s second president. If precedent is any guide, it is doubtful that Team Trump sought permission for the footage. When contacted by Deadline, the White House declined to provide clarification on the matter.
Proving that there’s nothing like MAGA overkill, the video also features a heavy dose of George Washington—including a historically questionable 2010 Dodge Challenger ad—in the almost hangover-inducing 40-second spot. Along with POTUS #1, the video shows mostly white men, with few people of color represented.
The montage includes a ton of Trump (depicted in some sci-fi settings), Teddy Roosevelt, Thomas Edison, images of violent Western frontier conquest, NASA astronauts skipping on the moon, plenty of Abraham Lincoln (both the monument and the man himself), military hardware in action, one angry-looking eagle, and at least two or three shots of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem—a frequent South Park subject. And because it’s the Trump administration, Bigfoot even makes a cameo.
In the DHS post, Robert Pattinson’s vengeance-soaked dialogue from the Matt Reeves–directed blockbuster *The Batman* is played over images of masked and armed Border Patrol agents storming streets and arresting men at Home Depots.
“Fear is a tool,” says a voice that, if not Pattinson himself, sounds remarkably like him. This DHS video was also posted on Instagram by the US Border Patrol and its main spokesperson, Greg Bovino.
“They think I’m hiding in the shadows, but I am the shadows,” the voiceover declares, just as in *The Batman*. The video closes with a shot of the camera-ready Commander Bovino—who was recently called out by a federal judge for lying about the CBP’s use-of-force methods—looking out into the night. The implication is that he might be the “shadow” the voiceover refers to.
The Dark Knight has always had distinctly authoritarian undertones baked into his tactics and mythology, as Christopher Nolan’s movies clearly demonstrated. However, this DHS video doubles down on that element of Batman’s crime-fighting ethos, even repurposing the iconic Bat-Signal to support the movie’s narration.
In case viewers still missed the *The Batman* 2022 connection, the video also features the Kurt Cobain–penned “Something in the Way” from 1991’s groundbreaking *Nevermind* album—a song prominently used in the film.
Warner Bros. Discovery did not respond to inquiries about the use of its copyrighted content by the Trump administration when reached over the weekend. Whether this is due to the David Zaslav–led company wanting to avoid a MAGA-related controversy amid sensitive “under the hood” reviews by potential buyers like Comcast, Netflix, or David Ellison’s Paramount, the radio silence is notable.
Oddly, despite the quiet response from the for-sale WBD over their intellectual property being used without clearance, these pitches may not be landing with the intended audience as the White House and DHS hoped.
The “best hope” post has garnered just over 22,600 likes in the past 48 hours—a number far below the engagement seen on a recent Fox Sports clip. That clip, posted about an hour ago, has already racked up over 35,000 likes and features the former Apprentice host talking about swearing in new military members during halftime of the Washington Commanders vs. Detroit Lions NFL game.
As for the DHS video, it has received just over 2,400 likes as of Sunday afternoon—an engagement level considered low by any standard.
https://deadline.com/2025/11/trump-batman-nirvana-paul-giamatti-footage-use-1236612300/
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