GAME BOY MEETS WORLD
Is it a joke? A work of art? Both? A new video game parodies Donald Trump’s second term in what activists hope will provide a “relief and joy from the onslaught of daily horrors.”
Should you invade Iran? Or order a Diet Coke with the press of a button? That’s the opening choice in a new video game created by guerilla activists, poking fun at President Donald Trump’s decision to launch a war… and just about everything else, and everyone, in Trumpworld.
You may have already seen the pop-up installations around the National Mall trolling Trump over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, his advocacy for the Golden Dome Project, or his fondness for gold decor. They were all created by an anonymous activist group known as The Secret Handshake, which is also behind the newest installation: “Operation Epic Furious: Strait to Hell.” Three arcade-style machines are available for the public to play at the War Memorial on the National Mall.
The Pokémon-style video game begins with Trump deciding to bomb Iran. He then flies across “The Fake News Atlantic,” past “
GreenlandTrumplandia” and lands in Iran, where Vice President JD Vance greets him: “Capture all of the lube [a.k.a. crude oil] in Iran and ship it home through the always open Strait of Hormuz.” Trump’s primary mission then became to find three barrels of “lube.”
The game highlights some of the most absurd moments of Trump’s second term, from news that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cut off a raccoon penis to the joke meme that the vice president is sexually attracted to couches. There’s a centaur version of Vladimir Putin, a “lil” version of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a battle with Pope Leo, and virtual hamburgers that replenish the president’s health. Early on, Melania asks Trump: “Did you burn the [Epstein] files yet?”
The silliness is the point. “We wanted it to appear fun, funny, tongue-in-cheek, and hopefully provide a little bit of relief and joy from the onslaught of daily horrors,” The Secret Handshake told What A Day in a statement.“We wanted it to be non-violent … There are no weapons in our game about the war. Battles are waged using phones, raising gas prices, wielding Catholic guilt.”
Players on the National Mall loved the game — and a photo of bored National Guard troops joining in has even circulated online.
I dropped by to play in person this morning, on a sunny day in downtown D.C. Dozens of curious passersby stopped by, laughing at the design on the machines and taking turns with the game. I spoke with three people at the memorial who told me they’d heard about the video game on social media or through the news and made a concerted effort to visit. Each asked for anonymity to express how they really feel.
“This is badass,” said an arcade video game restorationist. The activists “obviously had somebody that knows what they’re doing.” Funny enough, The Secret Handshake told me that it took three weeks of “nonstop” work to build the project — and they had no prior experience in making video games.
I watched over the restorationist’s shoulder as Trump approached Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was passed out next to beer bottles. The player guided Trump to explore the room, where he discovered a golden toilet. (I didn’t watch long enough to see what happens next, thankfully). The restorationist’s rating of the game? “11 out of 10!”
Another gamer enjoyed the comic relief: “You can laugh, or you can cry,” said the man, who worked in the Pentagon under the Biden administration and stopped by while on a run. “The war truly is a strategic debacle at this point.”
A retired educator from Washington state told me that she’s a huge fan of the group’s installations because they bring levity to the heavy news cycle. “This atmosphere that’s been set by this administration … it’s mean, mean, mean. They’re bullies,” she said. “It’s bullshit. It’s [all about] money. It’s just everything opposite of what I kind of care about.”
The installation on the National Mall will be up for several days, according to the activists. You can also play the game online — knock yourself out!
WHAT ELSE? 👀
Inflation surged in April to its highest rate in three years, as fuel prices spiked due to the Iran war. Americans are increasingly frustrated with the economy: Only 30 percent of people approve of Donald Trump’s handling of the economy, a record low for either term.
On that note, the U.S. has spent $29 billion on the war with Iran so far, according to a Pentagon official. Meanwhile, Trump is big mad about the bad press and leaks, according to the Wall Street Journal. “In one meeting, Trump passed a stack of news articles … with a sticky note on it that said ‘treason,’” the outlet wrote.
Trump flew to China today for a high-stakes summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. He downplayed political differences with Xi ahead of their meeting, and claimed that Iran might not even be on the agenda: “We have a lot of things to discuss. I wouldn’t say Iran is one of them, to be honest with you, because we have Iran very much under control,” Trump told reporters.
FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary resigned from his post following weeks of pressure, ultimately leaving due to his concerns about Trump’s authorization of fruit-flavored vapes, according to the New York Times reports. “Makary told those close to him that he could not in good conscience approve flavored vapes, given their appeal to young people, and would not do something he did not believe in,” the Times reports.
FBI Director Kash Patel told the former acting FBI chief, Brian Driscoll, that he shouldn’t worry about being vetted for a new job in the agency… as long as he didn’t donate to the Democratic Party or vote for former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, Driscoll told CNN. Patel also said that “the FBI tried to put the president in jail and he hasn’t forgotten it,” Driscoll added. The DOJ didn’t respond to What A Day’s request for comment.
More than 20 percent of Americans who enrolled in Obamacare during open enrollment were dropped from the program after failing to meet payments, NOTUS reports. The data is the first evidence that Americans are feeling the effects of rising healthcare costs after Republicans passed Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” last year, which slashes $1 trillion in funds to health programs through 2034.
Democrats are calling for Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA) to resign after she seemingly agreed with a radio host who said that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries should get his “cotton-picking hands off of Virginia.” In a statement, Kiggans said that she doesn’t condone that language: “It was obvious to anyone listening that I was agreeing Hakeem Jefferies [sic] should stay out of Virginia,” she added.
LIGHT AT THE END… ☀️
Sen Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) got Kash Patel to publicly agree to take an alcohol use disorder test after a heated exchange during a congressional hearing. “When your private actions make it impossible for you to perform your public duties, we have a big problem. You cannot perform those public duties if you’re incapacitated,” Van Hollen told Patel, following a report about the director’s alleged alcohol use. Patel lashed out: “The only person who was slinging margaritas in El Salvador … was you!” (He was referring to Van Hollen’s visit with a man mistakenly deported to a prison in El Salvador by the Trump administration.) Very mature, Mr. FBI Director!
Singer Rod Stewart praised King Charles for the way he handled his recent trip to the United States. “May I say, well done in the Americas. You were superb. Absolutely superb. You put that little ratbag in his place,” Stewart said at a charity event, seemingly referring to Trump. Ah, I mean, Sir Rod Stewart! I guess when you’re knighted, you get to say stuff like that to the king.
Adults across the country are flocking to adult-only band camps to relive childhood memories, where you only have to focus on playing music with your friends in the woods. I can’t play an instrument, but can I come hang out???
The New York Times published a fascinating profile about Tim Bovard, the last taxidermist employed full-time at any American museum. Bovard is 72 now; he undertook his first taxidermy project at 11 years old, and, years later, would beg his friends to stop telling people at college parties about his offputting hobby. “It wouldn’t be for everybody,” Bovard told the outlet. “But I am known to be slightly different. That’s putting it sort of mildly.”
Scientists caught a Hawaiian false killer whale on video as it leaped out of the ocean to catch a fish. “This is something few people ever get to witness,” the Pacific Whale Foundation wrote on Instagram. “Powerful, precise, and absolutely breathtaking.” Fewer than 200 of the whales live in the wild, according to government data.
Looks like you can't play the video game online any longer. Hope it comes back up. Brilliant.