Trump's AI Deepfakes: A New Era of Political Power and Persuasion

• Donald Trump is the first US president to routinely use AI-generated imagery for political communication, promoting himself and mocking critics.
• He shares hyperrealistic visuals on Truth Social, ranging from self-glorification (e.g., playing football with Cristiano Ronaldo) to provocative portrayals of rivals.
• Inflammatory AI content includes a fabricated video of Barack Obama's arrest and an AI-generated image of Hakeem Jeffries with a fake mustache, drawing criticism for racism and misinformation.
• Analysts view Trump's AI use as part of a continuous campaign strategy, leveraging generative AI to capture attention and distort reality.
• The widespread adoption of AI in political messaging, even by critics like Gavin Newsom, signals a shift where persuasion increasingly relies on compelling AI-generated narratives over factual reality.

Why It Matters: Donald Trump has pioneered the use of AI deepfakes as a powerful, attention-grabbing tool in modern political communication.