Marty O’Donnell, the composer of Halo and Destiny, is running for US Congress again but this time, he has the support of Donald Trump.
O’Donnell is best known for creating the soundtracks to several Bungie games, including the original Halo trilogy, Destiny and Oni. He left the company in 2014 to co-found his own studio Highwire Games and in 2024, he campaigned to become Nevada’s representative at Congress.
“I’m tired of seeing the leaders of our country being influenced by the toxic divisions that are tearing apart our families and society,” he said at the time. “It’s time for me to step up and do my civic duty. To give back and try and change things for the better. If not me, who? If not now, when?”
He ended up placing fourth in the Republican primary but is now on the election trail once more, and keeps reminding potential voters about his work on Halo.
My name is Marty O'Donnell.
You may know me as the guy who composed the score for Halo.
But now, I'm the TRUMP-ENDORSED candidate for Congress in Nevada's 3rd District.
My view of government can be summed up by the story of the Goose that Laid the Golden Egg.👇 pic.twitter.com/y2qMBYSm99
— Marty O'Donnell (@MartyTheElder) April 14, 2026
The midterm elections will take place November 3 and O’Donnell has been backed by president Donald Trump in the race. “Marty O’Donnell is a world-class composer and entrepreneur who knows the policies required to create GREAT jobs, cut taxes, promote ‘NO TAX ON TIPS,’ and champion our nation’s golden age,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “As your next Congressman, Marty will fight tirelessly to unleash American energy dominance, keep our border secure, stop migrant crime, and protect our always under siege Second Amendment.”
“I am truly honoured to have the support of President Donald J. Trump,” O’Donnell replied on X. “Much like President Trump, I didn’t come from the world of politics. I spent my entire career in the business world. I had the honour 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.”
🚨 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
During the 2024 campaign, O’Donnell said Congress would be “a walk in the park compared to making Halo 2,” and offered to sign Halo merch during rallies (via PCGamer).
Last year, Donald Trump’s White House angered Halo fans by using Master Chief in a “fascist” advert promoting ICE and their work to “destroy the flood”.
Despite the backlash, The White House has said it’s not going to stop using gaming memes. “Through engaging posts and banger memes, we are successfully communicating the president’s extremely popular agenda,” explained spokesperson Abigail Jackson. “There’s a reason so many people try to copy our style — our message resonates. We will reach people where they are with content they can relate to and understand, whether that be Halo, Pokémon, The Lord Of The Rings or any other medium.”
In other news, Fortnite has added a new karaoke mode to its music-based spin-off game Festival.