Trump's AI Deepfake Strategy: From Oval Office Football to Gaza Cocktails

• Donald Trump is the first US president to extensively use AI-generated imagery for political communication, deploying hyper-realistic but fabricated visuals on Truth Social and other platforms.
• His AI posts often glorify himself and lampoon critics, featuring scenarios like playing football with Cristiano Ronaldo in the Oval Office or sunbathing with Benjamin Netanyahu in a 'Trump Gaza' resort.
• Trump has used provocative AI imagery against rivals, including a deepfake video of Barack Obama being arrested and a controversial image of Hakeem Jeffries, which was criticized as racist.
• Analysts view this as a 'campaigning through trolling' strategy, leveraging unregulated generative AI to capture attention and distort reality, appealing to a conservative base.
• The potency of Trump's AI strategy is evident as it has been mimicked by other administration departments, like Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign and ICE, and even by critics like California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Why It Matters: Trump is pioneering the use of AI deepfakes in political messaging to shape narratives and engage voters.