How Trump’s Use of AI Videos Is Changing His Political Playbook

TIME

President Donald Trump is turning artificial intelligence into one of his most potent political tools, using it to amplify his message and sharpen his online persona in ways experts say are proving strikingly effective. Over the weekend, he posted a highly produced AI-generated video on Truth Social depicting himself wearing a crown, piloting a fighter jet labeled “King Trump,” and dropping what appeared to be excrement on protesters below – a likely reference to the nationwide “No Kings” rallies that drew millions of demonstrators.

Transcript

00:00You probably already saw this AI video that was posted on the president's official truth social channel last weekend.

00:06It was likely a response to the No Kings rallies that drew millions of demonstrators out to protest the Trump administration.

00:12Experts say that posts like this one reflect a deliberate evolution in Trump's digital strategy.

00:17His team is using new technology tools to fuse AI-generated spectacle with the combative, meme-driven style

00:24that has defined as political communication for nearly a decade.

00:27In recent months, he has circulated AI-created images and videos to reinforce his political persona and mock his critics.

00:34Last month, he posted an AI video of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a fake mustache and sombrero,

00:41which Jeffries and civil rights groups condemned as racist.

00:44Earlier this year, Trump shared an AI-generated video of, quote, Trump Gaza,

00:48which imagined the Gaza Strip as a Dubai-style resort.

00:51The video prompted condemnation from Western and Arab leaders alike.

00:54This rise of AI-driven propaganda poses new challenges for regulators.

00:59The Trump administration's approach to AI has largely been hands-off,

01:03favoring private sector innovation over oversight.

01:05Executive orders have focused on curbing, quote,

01:08woke influence in government-funded AI projects

01:11and declaring that the U.S. must, quote,

01:13achieve global dominance in artificial intelligence.

01:15Whether or not political messages like this are part of that dominance remains to be seen.

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