Story perspectives

Trump Posts AI Deepfake Tossing Colbert, Sparks Deepfake Alarm

5/23/2026

Summary

Story summary

President Donald Trump posted an AI video on Truth Social on May 22 2026 showing him tossing Stephen Colbert into a dumpster, captioned “Bye-bye.”
He later called Colbert “dead” and said his exit signals the “beginning of the end” for late-night hosts.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert aired its final episode on May 21 2026 and omitted political jokes.
Online users condemned the AI clip as trolling and warned deepfake technology threatens discourse.

History

Historical Context

In April 2018 BuzzFeed and filmmaker Jordan Peele released a deep-fake of Barack Obama as a public-service warning about synthetic media. The clip helped trigger a June 2019 House Intelligence Committee hearing that cited, among other cases, a Belgian deep-fake that amassed over 100,000 views in 24 hours. Today, Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video on Truth Social, reviving the 2018 warning as lawmakers push disclosure rules.

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Story summary

President Donald Trump posted an AI video on Truth Social on May 22 2026 showing him tossing Stephen Colbert into a dumpster, captioned “Bye-bye.”
He later called Colbert “dead” and said his exit signals the “beginning of the end” for late-night hosts.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert aired its final episode on May 21 2026 and omitted political jokes.
Online users condemned the AI clip as trolling and warned deepfake technology threatens discourse.

1 / 2