Across the nation, thousands of Americans took to the streets on Saturday, October 18th, expressing concerns about the direction of the government. Protests, held in over 2,700 “No Kings” rallies, called for accountability from President Donald Trump amid growing fears of authoritarianism, including the deployment of national guard troops, increased presence of immigration agents, and perceived power grabs by all branches of government.
President Trump’s Response and AI Posts
President Trump dismissed the protesters’ concerns, referring to them as a “whacked out” joke during an Air Force One interview. Subsequently, on Truth Social, he shared a controversial AI-generated video depicting a military jet bearing the phrase “King Trump.” The video, featuring a digitally altered Trump wearing a golden crown, shows the jet flying over protestors and releasing what appears to be waste.
Adding another layer of complexity, Kenny Loggins, the singer of “The Danger Zone,” the song used as the video’s soundtrack, publicly condemned the unauthorized use of his work. He requested the video’s removal, stating that no permission was sought and that he would have denied it.
A Pattern of AI-Generated Content and Copyright Issues
This incident is just the latest instance in a growing pattern of Trump sharing AI-generated content and disregarding copyright regulations. Earlier in the day, he shared another AI video featuring “King Trump” accompanied by music from the band Avenged Sevenfold. Historically, Trump has faced criticism for sharing deepfaked videos – some of which have been racist – of political opponents and for using copyrighted music without permission, even from the Oval Office.
Wider GOP Trend and Social Media Strategy
Beyond Trump, a broader trend within the Republican party has emerged. Last week, the official Senate Republicans X (formerly Twitter) account posted a video featuring an AI deepfake of Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. While Schumer’s words were genuine, the video depicting him saying them was fabricated. Furthermore, the Trump administration has actively promoted claims that the federal shutdown was orchestrated by the “Radical Left,” potentially violating the Hatch Act, which regulates political activities of federal employees.
Concerns and Defenses
The proliferation of these posts has become a frequent topic of discussion in White House press briefings and has drawn scrutiny from misinformation watchdogs. Meanwhile, Trump continues to cultivate relationships with tech industry leaders, including those at prominent generative AI development companies, raising questions about the line between political satire and political misinformation.
At a news conference Monday, Speaker Mike Johnson defended Trump’s use of AI, stating, “The president uses social media to make the point. You can argue he’s probably the most effective person who’s ever used social media for that.” Johnson characterized the AI posts as satire, explicitly denying that they constitute calls for violence against political opponents.
The combination of increasingly questionable AI-generated content being shared by political leaders and the support from Big Tech raises serious concerns regarding the spread of misinformation and calls for a more restrained approach to political messaging on social media.
