The Rise of AI Propaganda: How President Trump Weaponizes Deepfakes in Political Communication

Donald Trump recently shared a fabricated video portraying himself wearing a crown and piloting a fighter jet.

In an alternate reality, Donald Trump portrays himself as king, fighter pilot, and Superman, while depicting his political adversaries as criminals and objects of ridicule—this represents an unprecedented utilization of AI-generated imagery by a sitting American president.

Since beginning his second term, Trump has increased his use of artificial intelligence-generated content on his Truth Social platform, making his administration the first to employ hyper-realistic fabricated visuals as a fundamental communications approach.

Trump, who has previously promoted conspiracy theories and unverified claims, has utilized this content in his fervent social media commentary to elevate himself and criticize his opponents—particularly during moments of national unrest.

Recently, he shared a fake video depicting himself wearing a crown and flying a fighter jet labeled "King Trump" that appears to drop excrement on protesting crowds.

The video—accompanied by Kenny Loggins's "Danger Zone"—was posted coinciding with nationwide "No Kings" protests against what critics described as his authoritarian tendencies.

In another instance, the White House portrayed Trump as Superman amid intense social media speculation regarding his health.

"THE SYMBOL OF HOPE," stated the post.

"SUPERMAN TRUMP."

Trump or White House officials have similarly shared AI-created images showing the president dressed as the pope, roaring alongside a lion, and conducting an orchestra at the Kennedy Center, a prestigious arts venue in Washington, DC.

These fabricated images have misled social media users, with some questioning their authenticity in comments.

It remains unclear whether Trump himself or his staff generated these images. The White House did not respond to requests for comment.

Wired magazine recently described Trump as "America's first generative AI president."

"Trump disseminates disinformation online and offline to enhance his image, attack opponents and control public discourse," stated Nora Benavidez, senior counsel at advocacy group Free Press.

"For someone like him, unregulated generative AI serves as the perfect tool to capture attention and distort reality."

In September, the president sparked outrage after posting what appeared to be an AI-generated video of himself promising Americans access to all-healing "MedBed" hospitals.

MedBed, a thoroughly debunked conspiracy theory popular in far-right circles, refers to an imaginary medical device with supposed futuristic technology that adherents claim can cure any condition from asthma to cancer.

Trump's fake clip—later removed without explanation—was formatted as a Fox News segment featuring his daughter-in-law Lara Trump promoting a fictitious White House launch of this "historic new health care system."

"How do we restore people to a shared reality when those in power continue misleading them?" asked Noelle Cook, researcher and author of "The Conspiracists: Women, Extremism, and the Lure of Belonging."

Trump has reserved his most provocative AI posts for rivals and critics, using them to mobilize his conservative base.

In July, he posted an AI video showing former president Barack Obama being arrested in the Oval Office and appearing behind bars in an orange jumpsuit.

Later, he shared an AI clip of House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries—who is Black—wearing a fake mustache and a sombrero, which Jeffries condemned as racist.

"While it would generally be preferable for the president to avoid sharing AI images, Trump has consistently demonstrated that he views his time in office as a continuous political campaign," explained Joshua Tucker, co-director of the New York University Center for Social Media and Politics.

"I would characterize his behavior more as campaigning through trolling rather than actively trying to convince people these images depict reality."

Mirroring Trump's approach, California Governor Gavin Newsom recently posted what appeared to be an AI video on X mocking Republicans after Democrats won key US elections.

The clip showed wrestlers in a ring with superimposed faces of Democratic leaders defeating their Republican opponents, including Trump.

The post stated: "Now that's what we call a takedown."