Good morning. Today, we’re covering President Trump and the Justice Department, JD Vance in Israel and renovations at the White House. But first, a look at Trump’s use of artificial intelligence. (Note: The Times covers A.I. images with a red bar to prevent misinformation from spreading.)
Fake news
In one fake image, President Trump cosplays as the pope. In another, he looks on as agents arrest Barack Obama. In a third, he stands atop a mountain, having conquered Canada. The era of A.I. propaganda is here — and Trump is an enthusiastic participant. He has posted A.I. items dozens of times on his Truth Social account, according to a review by The Times. Over the weekend, he posted a video in which he flies a fighter jet and dumps excrement on protesters.
The fake imagery attacks his political rivals, depicts him flatteringly, mocks criticism, celebrates his administration and spreads falsehoods about his agenda. It’s a wild and often gleeful medium that matches his freewheeling populist style. Today’s newsletter looks at the way the president uses this new tech. The new propaganda
Trump’s use of the tech has evolved alongside the tools, which have rapidly improved from producing obviously fake images in 2022 to more lifelike renderings — including video and audio — this year. The content is easy to create by typing descriptions of what you want into A.I.-generating tools. Some videos use multiple A.I. tools, such as a video of Robert De Niro that Trump shared last year: Someone replaced the actor’s lip movements with A.I.-rendered manipulations to match a voice sound-alike.
Political experts say that even the most anodyne uses of A.I. by the president normalize these tools as a new type of political propaganda. “It’s designed to go viral, it’s clearly fake, it’s got this absurdist kind of tone to it,” said Henry Ajder, who runs an A.I. consultancy. “But there’s often still some kind of messaging in there.” It redefines — or in some cases discards — the idea of being “presidential.” In the posts, he does a TikTok dance with Elon Musk, depicts a political rival as fat or wins the Nobel Peace Prize. The White House has responded to questions over Trump’s use of A.I. imagery by describing it as part of his successful social media strategy. “No leader has used social media to communicate directly with the American people more creatively and effectively than President Trump,” Liz Huston, the White House’s assistant press secretary, said on Friday in an emailed statement. Evolving mediumTrump’s use of A.I. began in earnest during his 2024 campaign. After his first debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, he claimed that Haitian immigrants in Michigan were eating cats and dogs — a racist conspiracy theory for which there was no credible evidence. A backlash followed. Trump responded by depicting himself embracing cats, ducks and dogs. His supporters shared the images widely online:
“The more ridiculous the photo or video, the more likely it is to dominate our news feeds,” said Adrian Shahbaz, vice president for research and analysis at Freedom House, a nonprofit focusing on democracy and liberty around the world. “A controversial post gets shared by people who enjoyed it and people outraged by it. That’s twice the shares.” In office, Trump’s use of A.I. became more sophisticated. It’s not clear whether Trump posts the imagery or lets his staff members do so. But he likes to joke about policy issues. When he appointed himself as the head of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, he published an image depicting himself as a conductor. Attack formationTrump has also skewered opponents. During his campaign, he visualized the supposed effects of “open borders,” contrasting two A.I. images: one an idyllic scene, the other an overcrowded one with trash piled out in the open.
This month, he posted a video depicting the House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, in stereotypical Mexican garb. The video used A.I. to make it sound as if the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, were disparaging the Democratic Party. After the government shut down over a funding fight this month, Trump cast his budget director as the Grim Reaper. The video was created by a guerrilla messaging outfit loyal to Trump. Its leader, Brenden Dilley, a podcaster and former congressional candidate, declined to comment. But during the re-election campaign, he wrote on X: “The truth no longer matters, all you have to do is go viral.”
Washington
The White House
More on Politics
Education
Middle East
More International News
Other Big Stories
This question comes from a recent edition of the newsletter. Click an answer to see if you’re right. (The link will be free.) According to a recent Times story, a number of former N.F.L. players are becoming:
Despite the Trump administration’s claims, colonial America was ethnically and religiously diverse. That’s what made its achievements so remarkable, Leighton Woodhouse writes. Career politicians care more about staying in power than serving the public. Congress needs term limits, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida and former Representative David Trone of Maryland write. Here’s a column by Jamelle Bouie on the “No Kings” protests. Morning readers: Save on the complete Times experience. Experience all of The Times, all in one subscription — all with this introductory offer. You’ll gain unlimited access to news and analysis, plus games, recipes, product reviews and more.
Waterworks: Colin Jost and Pete Davidson bought a Staten Island Ferry four years ago. It has been nothing but a headache. Mountaineer: Kilian Jornet gave himself a month to scale, by foot and by bike, the 72 tallest peaks in the contiguous United States. See how he did it. Testosterone: Some middle-aged women talk about the hormone like a miracle drug that supercharged their libidos. But the side effects can be serious. Lives Lived: In the 1960s and ’70s, Stephanie Johnson was a busy burlesque dancer in New York City. “I danced in so many mob clubs that I learned Italian,” she said. |
