Anthony Hudson, a candidate for Congress in Michigan's Republican primary, initially apologized for a video he shared on his TikTok account in which an AI voice resembling civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. voiced his support, but then made a major walkback.
“I have another dream. Yes, I, Martin Luther King, I have come back from the dead to say something,” a voice said in the clip. “Like I said, I have another dream. A dream that Anthony Hudson would be the next Congressman for Michigan's 8th Congressional District. Yes, I have another dream. Now I'm going back to where I came from. Goodbye.” The voice of Hudson, a staunch Donald Trump supporter, then said, “I agree with this message.”
Heartland Signal shared the video on X (formerly Twitter) and was met with criticism.
The video was removed from TikTok shortly thereafter, according to the outlet.
At X, Hudson initially spoke in an apologetic tone, accusing the volunteer of giving his “social media credentials to one of my friends, who then posted the AI video without my knowledge.”
“Apparently they used AI to synthesize not only MLKjr's voice, but also my voice to make it seem more authentic,” he explained. “The volunteers have been released and all my social media credentials have been updated. I never approved of this stupid and disrespectful video!”
Hudson later offered a sincere apology, claiming he was “deeply upset about the situation,” and warned, “This could happen to anyone, so be careful who has your personal information.”
But just hours later, Hudson performed a stunning 180-degree turn, claiming that he had decided not only to keep his campaign staff, but to raise their salaries, because he believed that Dr. King would be sick of the utter suffering that the people of Flint, Michigan are experiencing under this Administration's watch.
“I believe that if Dr. King were alive today, he would support me and my vision for a better Michigan,” he added.
In a separate post, Hudson said his comments stood.
“If Dr. King were alive today he would be appalled by the treatment of not only black Americans, but all Americans in Flint, Michigan,” he wrote. “Remember this: It's 2024, the city of Flint is falling apart, my neighborhood has a neglected education system, and we still don't have clean water. My neighborhood deserves better.”
