Ex-Bungie composer Marty O’Donnell, who worked on acclaimed gaming soundtracks ranging from the original Halo: Combat Evolved to Destiny, is running for Congress. Again. But unlike the last time he lost, this time he finally has the endorsement of President Donald Trump, the man he once called an idiot.
“It is my Great Honor to endorse America First Patriot, Marty O’Donnell, who is running to represent the incredible people of Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District,” the president posted on Truth Social on April 14. It ended with: “Marty O’Donnell has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Representative from Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District — HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!”
🚨 I am truly honored to have the support of President Donald J. Trump!
The stakes this midterm could not be higher. That’s why when I started running, I promised I would drop out unless President Trump supported me so that Republicans could avoid wasting resources on a needless… pic.twitter.com/AMmzZpjCw4
— Marty O’Donnell (@MartyTheElder) April 14, 2026
O’Donnell is running against incumbent Democrat Susie Lee, whom Trump attacked as a “Radical Left Extremist” who supports “Transgender for Everyone.” The president said O’Donnell would “Champion our Nation’s Golden Age” by supporting the administration’s tax cuts and immigration crackdown.
The composer, who was fired from Bungie in 2014, called Trump an “idiot” on Twitter back in 2016 during the Republican primary, according to The Nevada Independent. In 2017, O’Donnell reportedly wrote that he preferred conservative intellectuals like William F. Buckley and Milton Friedman to Trump’s MAGA movement.
Apparently- this guy’s Lincoln Project consultants are trying to pass him off as a Republican running in Nevada’s CD3. I would say in Nevada’s primary- anyone but him will suffice. #JustSayNo pic.twitter.com/l12oq8Xydd
— Sigal Chattah (@Chattah4Nevada) May 18, 2024
He ran for the same Nevada Congressional seat back in 2024 but came in fourth place in the Republican primary, the winner of which went on to lose the race to Lee by just 10,000 votes. O’Donnell has continued posting about politics, including his renewed electoral ambitions, ever since.
That included last fall, when Halo was used by the Trump White House for an ICE recruitment meme which likened undocumented immigrants to the series’ parasitic Flood. “When I defeat Susie Lee next year and get to Congress, I will work with the Trump administration to destroy the Flood once and for all!” O’Donnell wrote at the time.
“Much like President Trump, I didn’t come from the world of politics,” he posted on April 14 following Trump’s endorsement. “I spent my entire career in the business world. I had the honor of working with some incredible people and composing music for some of the greatest video games of all time. I’m not going to DC for fame or money. I’m going because I’m a grandfather who deeply cares about what type of country his grandchildren will grow up in.”
