US President Donald Trump Posts AI-Altered Video of Barack Obama Arrest, Sparks Outrage and Conspiracy Claims
US president Donald Trump posts I-generated video of former president Barack Obama's arrest X
The one-minute spot opens with a voice that sounds like Obama saying, "No one, not even the President, is above the law," and features other Democrats, including former President Joe Biden, stating the same. The video then segues to a doctored image of Obama in a prison jumpsuit and behind bars.
Trump did not add a disclaimer to the clip that this time the video was created with artificial intelligence and was not real. The video was originally posted to TikTok before it went out on Trump's platform. Critics, media experts, and watchdogs have described the post as "irresponsible" and dangerous, particularly in today's politically charged environment.
The release comes as Tulsi Gabbard, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, is set to make explosive claims in a video. In a series of tweets on X (formerly Twitter), Gabbard accused Obama and his top aides of being part of a "treasonous conspiracy" to throw the 2016 election. She alleged that officials intentionally distorted intelligence reports to force a narrative about Trump's links to Russia.
Gabbard said that her office has handed over the documents to the Department of Justice and called for a complete investigation. "Everyone involved needs to be prosecuted within the rule of law," she wrote.
But a report recently declassified by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) suggests that Gabbard is untrue. The 114-page report says U.S. intelligence agencies had made that assessment before the 2016 election that Russian cyber activity had a certain outcome, meaning it likely did not affect final vote tallies. An intelligence briefing from December 2016, likewise, found no significant evidence of vote manipulation.
But Trump's post and Gabbard's allegations have rekindled a fight over the legitimacy of the 2016 election and whether politicians can use artificial intelligence to generate political messages.
Experts caution that such videos can amplify misinformation at a rapid pace and undermine public trust. More and more people are calling for new guidelines when it comes to AI-forged content, particularly when public figures are involved.
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