The debate over US President Donald Trump and his administration's use of AI-generated content reignited when Trump posted a video depicting the arrest of former President Barack Obama.
26-second video for 1 minute postedOn Trump's own true social platform, he begins on Monday with a genuine clip of other senior Democratic politicians past and present, declaring that “no one has surpassed the law.” Obama is then arrested by an FBI agent in an oval office, handcuffed in front of Trump, and is later reduced to footage to show that he is shown behind the bar in an orange jumpsuit.
Obama has not been arrested, of course. The second half of the video is clearly generated using artificial intelligence. Watermarks that reveal that they were created by Tiktok accounts are endurable We only have around 8,000 followers who regularly post Pro Trump content on sensational.
Still, Trump still posted it to his 10.5 million followers, as he did with the obvious fake image that portrayed him as the Pope Video generated by AI from Gaza Riviera on May 3rd February 26th.
The latter example sparked certain outrage as he presented the vision for the Gaza Strip under the controversial proposal proposed by President Trump in February 2025. The US President proposed a complete “acquisition” and redevelopment of the territory, aiming to reset Gaza as the “Middle Eastern Riviera” and to reset Gaza as the “Middle Eastern Riviera.” Many human rights groups and international stakeholders have sharply criticised it.Trump's plan calls it a violation of international law and an attempt to cleanse ethnicity.
Last year, AI-generated content also played a role in Trump's reelection campaign from video He shows him dancing alongside high-tech billionaire Elon Musk, and the image depicts Democratic candidate Kamala Harris as a Soviet-style “communist.” He also shared obviously fake images of Taylor Swift fans wearing the “Swift for Trump's Swift” t-shirt despite popular support for pop star Harris. DW Fact Check has previously investigated the impact of disinformation on US elections, including cases involving fakes generated by AI.
Why does Trump continue to share fake AI?
The fact that the content is not only fake, but is often patently absurd, does not seem to bother Trump or his supporters and allies, who continue to post similar motifs regularly. So why do they do that?
“The reason Trump shares content generated by many AI is the same as many right-wing trolls share content generated by AI.Director of MediaWise, the digital media literacy program at the Pointer Institute in Florida.
“The White House itself has made AI-generated images on social media a core element of its audience engagement strategy, because of the engagement factor, which is a shocking factor. They're just trying to stay relevant. Unfortunately, when you look at engagement, it really works.”
Prior to the 2024 presidential election, many observers feared that the AI content would muddier the water and that voters simply didn't know what to believe. But ultimately, according to Mahadevan, it's not what happened at all.
“What AI actually did was create propaganda machines on steroids,” he told DW. “You can quickly know that it's being generated. But it's not designed to deceive the audience. It's designed to drive a political message.”
Trump's Tactics: Strengthen Support and Angry Opposition
Clearly fake content like the Obama video shared this week may not be designed to deceive or persuade anyone, but it is intended to provoke.
“It's bait for anger,” Mahadevan said. “How to “own Libs” [liberals]'owns' the other side of the political aisle. When they see the other side share memes and content and get upset about it, they like it! They're doing a touchdown dance when they see it. ”
It may look like a toddler, but according to Mahadevan, it is an established form of communication.
“New rights, digital rights, trolling rights have become a pretty big part of Trump's base, and this is how they talk to each other,” he says. “Cool, AI-generated images. They're talking to their base.”
How Trump benefits from “liar dividends”
Nevertheless, whether Trump himself explicitly means that, his use of fake content contributes to a socio-political phenomenon known as “liar dividends.” This is the idea that the spread of manipulated media promotes general skepticism and makes it easier to dismiss actual content as fake.
Trump used this during his campaign, falsely claiming that a verified image of a large crowd greeted Kamala Harris prior to a rally in Detroit greeted him from the vice president's plane.
“[We are] “Nothing is true, everything is possible,” commented René Diresta, a fraudulent expert and former researcher at Stanford Internet Observatory on the thread. at that time. “The ability to cast doubt plausibly into reality is the unintended consequence of being able to create unreality.”
Trump's vision of the world
But there's one final explanation as to why Trump and his supporters continue to post obviously fake content. It reflects the vision of the world that we would actually hope for one day.
“These content will be more than AI slops. They will help create a world of digital mirrors that reflect the future Trump imagines, but that may seem ridiculous.” New Yorker In March. “In the real world, Trump's vision of Gaza as an ethnically cleansed luxury resort may seem like a political fantasy. But on the internet, Trump Gaza already exists as his favorite beachside destination.”
Mahadevan said, “Trump is influenced by AI just like normal people. You can use AI to reveal the future of yourself and the version of yourself that you dream of.
After reposting the fake “Swift for Trump” t-shirt in 2024, Trump said Fox News: “I didn't generate them. They were all made up of others. AI is always very dangerous. It's a bit dangerous.”
But that doesn't stop him from continuing to post such content.
Editor: Tetyana Klug
