Donald Trump’s AI-Generated Deepfake Campaign Fuels Concerns Over Regulation

Former President Donald Trump has used artificial-intelligence tools to create deepfake images and video that depict him in exaggerated roles, including as “King Trump” piloting a fighter jet, as a pope, as Jesus, and as a comic-book style superhero. These visualizations have been posted on his public platforms during his second term.

Salon

Trump’s fabricated media use predates AI. He previously employed the fictitious spokesperson “John Barron” to present himself as a billionaire businessman, a practice described as a pre-AI deepfake. This self-aggrandizement through manipulated representation frames his current AI-based efforts.

Salon

Trump has boasted about his cognitive abilities, citing the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and claiming rapid mental calculation skills. These statements accompany his promotion of AI-generated content, and no official government response to the deepfakes is recorded.

Salon

Commentators warn that Trump’s use of AI raises concerns about his suitability to regulate the technology. Author Cory Doctorow warned that AI’s “false promises” risk eroding expertise, while humorist Andy Borowitz likened Trump’s self-portrayal to the largely forgotten Napoleon III. Critics note that loyalty to private tech donors may outweigh legal considerations in AI policy.

Salon

AI-generated outputs include a video of “King Trump” piloting a fighter jet and dumping feces on protesters, images of Trump as a pope, Jesus, and a superhero, and attempts to place his likeness on U.S. coins, passports, and Mount Rushmore.

Salon

Trump’s dual role as a user of AI-generated media and a regulator creates a conflict of interest. Observers note his reliance on technology supplied by private “tech-bros” could shape policy outcomes, as he has shifted funding requests for personal projects from private donations to taxpayer support. The source material provides no independent verification of the deepfake videos or images, leaving the factual status of specific AI creations unconfirmed.

Salon

“His AI-generated video showing himself as “King Trump” piloting a fighter jet and dumping a load of feces on No Kings protesters protest was typically puerile and grotesque.” — Salon

Salon

“As author and activist Cory Doctorow writes, it makes sense to worry about AI — its false promises, he says, mean society will keep losing or abandoning actual expertise.” — Salon

Salon

The next two years of Trump’s term are expected to continue the AI-generated deepfake campaign, potentially prompting further public scrutiny and debate over AI governance.

Salon