Separating the art from the artist has become increasingly difficult, especially for Halo fans. That’s because the original Halo soundtrack composer, Marty O’Donnell, has recently announced to run for US Congress again, reinforcing his political affiliation with President Trump and the Republican Party. This move comes after the Trump administration notably used Halo and the end of the console wars to promote the president and ICE using AI art.
O’Donnell was notably fired by Bungie back in 2014 after disputes following Microsoft’s acquisition of the development studio. Now, with plans to run for Nevada state Representative, it appears O’Donnell has fully committed to changing lanes in his career post-retirement, with newfound confidence after the official White House and Homeland Security X/Twitter page started splicing in Halo into their, uh, executive memes.
O’Donnell has enthusiastically shared the Department of Homeland Security’s post saying “Destroy the Flood, Join.ICE.Gov” with a background of Halo‘s Warthog vehicle. “Flood” in this context most likely refers to undocumented immigrants, which is ICE’s primary target and something O’Donnell has echoed. Prior to sharing the ICE promotion from the Department of Homeland Security, O’Donnell has also consistently lambasted Nevada State Representative Susie Lee of the Democratic Party.
It’s worth noting that O’Donnell was defeated in the previous 2024 congressional elections. And despite being fired from Bungie more than 10 years ago, O’Donnell has been using his portfolio in the gaming industry and the Halo games as part of his campaign, never failing to mention how he is “part of many childhoods” and that “you should know that the guy who composed its music (me!).” Apart from Halo, O’Donnell also composed music for Destiny before he was fired.
People Online Are in Disbelief at This Timeline
While it’s not the first time the Trump administration has appealed to the gamer population of the US to garner support (and potentially votes), former game devs running for politicians and even using their previous work in their campaign is as absurd as it sounds for many. The Flood in Halo, for those who aren’t familiar, are parasitic alien lifeforms and serve as the primary antagonists of the franchise.
For many, likening the Flood to undocumented immigrants or immigrants in general is a highly xenophobic gesture, and it appears O’Donnell has no qualms about propagating the idea. Meanwhile, there were also plenty of Halo fans in disbelief, “The guy who composed the Halo soundtrack (Yes the main theme you know) is running for Congress and talking about destroying The Flood. What a timeline,” according to an X user.
“He already ran previously and lost so damn bad that he must have a fetish for losing if he is going again,” mocks another X user. Meanwhile, another Halo fan has reminded people of this, “Reminder, he’s a piece of [expletive] and the flood he’s talking about are immigrants. The entire halo community has removed Marty O’Donnell, and considers him nothing but a stain on Halo‘s Legacy.”
