By sharing a disturbing AI-generated video of former President Barack Obama being arrested by the FBI in the Oval Office on his Truth Social account, former President Donald Trump has sparked controversy once more. Real footage of Democrats, including Obama, repeating the line “No one is above the law” opens the clip. It then cuts to a picture of a clown before cutting to a fake scene in which Obama is handcuffed, dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, and placed in jail.
As the 2024 election season heats up, the blatantly phony and AI-generated video has sparked alarm about the moral and political ramifications of deepfakes. Trump, who looked ecstatic in his Truth Social post, failed to disclose that the video was a work of fiction, which heightened already rising concerns about false information and manipulated content.
A link to the clip was shared by entrepreneur Mario Nawfal on X (formerly Twitter) without any content warning, and shorter versions of the video are now making the rounds online. The disquieting visuals are made more eerie by the video’s cheesy, almost humorous soundtrack, which is reminiscent of the Village People.
Obama wasn’t the last post. Former US Ambassador Samantha Power, who was under Obama and is now well-known for her leadership at USAID under President Joe Biden, has also come under fire from Trump’s supporters, including Elon Musk. Without providing credible sources, Trump and Musk questioned her financial growth, claiming that her wealth had increased suspiciously from $6.7 million to $30 million in just three years.
This type of AI manipulation, according to critics, has the potential to develop into a deadly political tool. Before phony videos like these sway public opinion or spark unrest, experts are calling on lawmakers and social media companies to intervene.
The distinction between satire, misinformation, and incitement becomes increasingly blurred as political rivalry and the digital age collide. Even though the video is fake, the effects could be real.