Trump’s Presidency: An Era of AI-Generated Content
▼ Summary
– President Trump has become known for posting AI-generated videos, including one depicting him as a fighter pilot attacking protesters.
– His AI content includes racist depictions of political figures and dystopian scenarios like a “Trump Gaza” video.
– Trump either posts videos he finds amusing himself or has staffers identify and gain approval for content to share on his account.
– The White House has not disclosed who specifically posted the fighter jet video or how it was approved.
– Trump’s social media activity has decreased from its peak, and he has long relied on dictation and team management for his online presence.
Donald Trump’s presidency has become uniquely intertwined with the rise of generative artificial intelligence, marking a significant shift in how political figures communicate and shape their public image. Despite his well-known personal aversion to using keyboards and computers, the former president’s social media channels have become a primary outlet for a stream of AI-manipulated videos and imagery.
One particularly notorious example emerged just before the recent No Kings demonstrations. In a widely circulated clip, Trump appears outfitted in full Top Gun-style flight gear, seated in the cockpit of a fighter jet emblazoned with the words “KING TRUMP.” To ensure the monarchical theme was unmistakable, a literal crown sits atop his head in place of a standard pilot’s helmet. The aircraft’s mission in the video is to unleash an enormous, cartoonish torrent of waste upon a simulated crowd of No Kings protesters in a digitally altered Times Square.
This fighter jet spectacle is far from an isolated incident. His accounts have also featured a racially charged caricature of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, complete with a sombrero and exaggerated mustache. Another post showcased a strange and unsettling video labeled “Trump Gaza,” adding to a growing portfolio of dystopian AI-generated content.
The question naturally arises: how do these fabricated videos find their way onto the official account of a former president? The process involves more than one pathway. According to a senior White House official, Trump himself sometimes discovers videos he finds amusing, often on Truth Social or through other channels, saves them to his phone, and then posts them directly. More commonly, however, his staff identifies compelling clips and secures his approval before publishing them on his primary account. In either case, Trump is not the one personally creating the AI-generated media.
The origin of the specific fighter jet video remains somewhat murky. The White House has been deliberately vague about who was responsible for its creation and which individual ultimately authorized its publication.
A broader trend indicates that Trump is now posting on social media less frequently than during his most active periods. A former campaign official noted that he has long preferred dictating messages and reviewing printed annotations, though this method has not entirely eliminated the occasional cryptic typo reminiscent of his famous “covfefe” post.
His reliance on a digital team is not a new development. Long before diving into the world of AI-generated content, Trump recognized the strategic advantage of having aides manage his Twitter presence. Throughout his first term, his tweets became powerful tools capable of making headlines and moving markets, often instilling fear in fellow Republicans and corporate leaders. This era came to a halt when he was suspended from the platform for inciting the January 6th insurrection. Following his banishment from mainstream social media, he established his own platform, Truth Social, in October 2021.
(Source: Wired)
