Rumors circulated online in June 2026 that the movie theater chain Regal Cinemas showed what critics called a "propaganda video" for the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump before a movie screening.
Users on social media claimed that the cinema showed a commercial from the Department of Defense that spoke positively about military operations under the Trump administration.
We have left this claim unrated while we seek firsthand confirmation that Regal actually showed the ad in question, but the ad itself is authentic.
Snopes reached out to Regal Cineworld, Regal Cinema's parent company, for confirmation that the ad was shown cinemas and, if so, whether there was a financial agreement in place for Regal to show the ad. We will update this article if we hear back.
The rumor gained traction when the Rev. Chuck Currie, a minister in Portland, Oregon, posted an open letter to the theater chain about the ad on his social media channels on June 15. He wrote:
As a minister in the United Church of Christ, I am writing to Regal Theatres to demand that you immediately stop showing the war.gov promotional spot that appears before movies.
The video is a propaganda video. Nothing more, nothing less. While at Portland's Regal Lloyd Center last night to watch "Disclosure Day," our family was surprised that before the movie, we were forced to watch an advertisement touting the leadership of Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth, and the so-called Department of War.
It was like we were at a movie theater in Russia or North Korea. Democracies do not do this. The audience loudly booed.
We routinely see videos at Regal promoting careers in the military. This was not that.
This was an advertisement promoting the political views of Donald Trump. It was not promoting our military. It was not promoting America's greatest strength: our diversity. This was a MAGA campaign commercial highlighting a fake cabinet agency, the Department of War, which is actually called the Defense Department, and the MAGA America First platform.
Regal's decision to show this video can only be construed as an endorsement of Donald Trump, his failed war in Iran, and the white Christian nationalism advocated by Secretary Hegseth.
Again, I must demand that Regal stop showing this video immediately. Blessed are the peacemakers.
Snopes confirmed with Currie via email the details of his viewing, which he said occurred at Regal's Lloyd Center location in Portland on June 14, during the 6:40 p.m. showing of Steven Spielberg's "Disclosure Day."
Local media also reported on Currie's letter, helping to spread the claim online. However, the first instance of someone discussing the ad online was a post on the Regal Unlimited subreddit that featured a photograph of the alleged ad playing on a cinema screen and was posted the day before Currie wrote his letter.
The image in the Reddit photo matched imagery seen at the 1:23 mark in the ad titled "Peace Through Strength," available to watch on YouTube and which Trump said on June 12 would debut during the White House UFC event on June 14:
This Sunday Night, during the historic Freedom 250 UFC Fight at the White House, The Department of War will debut their first TV Ad, entitled "Peace Through Strength." WATCH IT BELOW. The Warrior Ethos is BACK at the War Department, and we call on our greatest young Americans to join our Great Fighting (when necessary!) Machine.
The video depicted the U.S. military engaging in tactical operations and featured voiceovers by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as well as Trump.
Toward the end of the video, the president said, "Through our power and might, we will lead the world to peace. Our friends will respect us, our enemies will fear us, and the whole world will admire the unrivaled greatness of the United States military."
"Peace Through Strength" was not the first time Regal dealt with accusations of running propaganda ads before films. In 2002, the chain removed a short film titled "Enduring Freedom: The Opening Chapter" following complaints that it featured "overtones of propaganda" and "exposed children to a disturbing image from Sept. 11, 2001," according to a report by the Los Angeles Times.
For further reading, we've reported on the rumor that the Department of Defense removed a portrait of the country's first Black four-star general.