Associated Press
Former President Donald Trump has been active on his social accounts as Democrats gather for their convention in Chicago, but some of his posts don’t have much to do with reality.
Ahead of the Democratic National Convention, he posted a fake image of someone who looks like Vice President Kamala Harris addressing what appears to be a communist rally in Chicago with a depiction of a red banner with a communist symbol. That followed his repost of a phony video of himself dancing next to billionaire Elon Musk, one of his most vocal supporters.
Just before the convention kicked off, he reposted an image of Taylor Swift in an Uncle Sam outfit and accepted her endorsement for his campaign, which she had never given.
They’re the latest examples of how Trump is promoting images produced by artificial intelligence tools to attack his opponents or create illusions of support around his own campaign. It’s in keeping with a long-standing strategy in which Trump amplifies messages — from QAnon adherents to those who deny the results of fair elections — to score political points and satisfy his base by promoting alternate realities.
Some of the images and videos Trump has shared are cartoonish or obviously fake. Yet the rise in AI-generated content across political social media concerns experts who say it can be used to push more insidious and believable disinformation. As fake images, videos and audio clips created by generative AI models begin to saturate social media, they also risk eroding people’s trust in what they see and hear.
“The AI-generated deepfakes of Taylor Swift are yet another example of AI’s power to create misinformation that deceives and defrauds voters,” said Lisa Gilbert, co-President of Public Citizen, a progressive consumer rights advocacy group that has pushed for legislation to regulate AI. “The potential harms to our society that could result from such misinformation, including abuses of our elections, are wide-reaching and immensely damaging.”
One AI-generated image in Trump’s Truth Social post, shared on Sunday, showed women in “Swifties for Trump” shirts, a reference to the artist’s devout fans. The fake image showing Swift dressed as Uncle Sam included text saying, “Taylor wants YOU to VOTE for DONALD TRUMP.” In his repost of the image, Trump added, “I accept!”
One of the images Trump shared included a small satire label, though he didn’t clarify whether he meant his post was in jest.
Swift, who remains on her world tour and has a show scheduled Tuesday night in London, has made no endorsement in this year’s U.S. presidential race. Her spokesperson did not return multiple messages seeking comment.
To Republicans outside Trump’s orbit, the focus on someone like Swift — one of the most talked about artists in the world — is all about garnering attention for Trump at a time when much of the focus is on Harris and Democrats.
“This is how he and the campaign can wrest back news cycles,” said Doug Heye, a longtime Republican spokesperson and operative. “I hesitate to say to their credit, but I think we all know, if you want to be talked about, Taylor Swift is a great way to do it.”
A Harris spokesperson did not respond to questions about Trump’s use of images generated by artificial intelligence.
Trump supporters frequently create social media posts and memes using AI-generated images, some of which get shared by the former President.
Before Trump shared the phony Swift images, his supporters had been creating and posting their own AI-generated videos and images of the pop star appearing to support Trump. They also shared numerous images of Harris dressed as a communist leader or addressing a Soviet crowd.
Political operatives have long been concerned about what the rise in artificial intelligence could mean for elections.
Some members of Congress have pushed for legislation to regulate the use of AI-generated images in politics, but no legislation to do so has gotten close to passing. The Federal Communications Commission has proposed requiring political advertisers to disclose their use of artificial intelligence in television and radio ads, but such a rule would not affect the social media platforms.
While several social media companies have rules for labeling AI-generated content, they aren’t always followed. Across platforms, misleading and lifelike images of both Trump and Harris amass millions of views, with some users not recognizing what they are seeing is fake.
Given her influence and millions of fans, Swift has often become a trending political topic during election years.
In 2020, she supported President Joe Biden, writing a month before the election that she was going to be cheering for then-vice presidential nominee Harris, this year’s Democratic nominee, in her debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence. She also was openly critical of Trump ahead of the 2020 election, saying he had stoked “the fires of white supremacy and racism.”
While she has remained on the sidelines so far this year, she has not escaped notice from prominent conservatives who worry about a Swift endorsement of the Democratic presidential ticket.
Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro earlier this year warned Swift not to “get involved in politics.” Fox News’ Sean Hannity urged her to “think twice” about backing Biden when he was running for reelection. And Vivek Ramaswamy, a former GOP presidential candidate and vocal Trump supporter, called Swift and her NFL star boyfriend Travis Kelce “an artificially culturally propped-up couple” who may make “a major presidential endorsement” this fall.
Some of her supporters have responded to Trump’s posts by taking to social media and declaring their intentions to vote for the former President. Trump’s campaign is seizing on that support.
Steven Cheung, Trump’s spokesman, did not address the use of fake images in response to questions, but called “Swifties for Trump” a “massive movement that grows bigger every single day.”
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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
19 comments
Vote2x
August 20, 2024 at 6:31 pm
Don’t mess with Swift fans is in the Theocratic 2025 playbook. Didn’t they read it?
Dont Say FLA
August 21, 2024 at 1:12 pm
They can’t read, and that book was banned from the library too.
Yrral
August 20, 2024 at 7:14 pm
I know Swift will never perform in Crazytown
Day 30
August 20, 2024 at 8:02 pm
Google WAP lyrics by Cardi B. Megan Thee Stalion sings it as well. That song should age very well 😜
Tom
August 21, 2024 at 7:10 am
WAP? Isn’t White A$$ Pu$$y what she calls trump?
Why the obsession with hip-hop lyrics? They seem no more or less silly than country music to me. Is this another conservative / fox news thing? Inquiring minds want to know.
Day 31
August 21, 2024 at 8:09 am
Amazing writing talent by Cardi B.
I wish I could write like that🤣
Super Elvis
August 20, 2024 at 7:26 pm
Actually this was released without my permission as I am still engaged in one on one negoations with Ms. TAY TAY.
Dont ask for details as I have promised Tay Tay not to Kiss & Tell,
Super Elvis
Yrral
August 21, 2024 at 12:08 am
Crawl back up in the racist trash hole, you climb out as a baby
Day 31
August 21, 2024 at 5:32 am
Like I said before. The one that cries racist on any thing is usually the racist themself. You haven’t viewed your unconscious bias training yet I see. Start googling Yrral.
Yrral
August 21, 2024 at 8:09 am
You are victim of White fragility,just like Trump,I bet your mom didn’t think she would birth racist trash like you into the world Google Beware OF The Dark Skinned People Women
Day 31
August 21, 2024 at 12:16 pm
You can call me whatever you want Yrral. I’m not a super sensitive guy like yourself. You run around calling everyone a racist that disagrees with you because that is all you got and whatever the google machine tells you. Racism. I see it myself at work all the time when I am the token whitey. So spare me your BS. Now go google “dumb azz” because that is what you are.
rick whitaker
August 21, 2024 at 6:54 pm
DAY 33 HOWLERMONKEY, you sure do get upset when people find out that you are a hardcore racist. your posts from the past have informed smart people of your sexism, ageism, and racism. what a droll you are
Ocean Joe
August 21, 2024 at 9:12 am
Happen to think everyone is racist to some degree in some direction and that includes Black attitudes towards whitey
.
Growing up on the tail end of segregation, I can understand the resentment. Long after legislation like the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act were passed, defacto segregation continues and in fact the Democratic party’s embrace of desegregation, busing, housing, is what built your party in the south. You can deny it. I watched it. We used to outnumber Reps 10-1 all over Florida except for St. Pete and Sarasota.
Complain about a group, a race, and then block all paths of advancement and what do you expect? Who would want to live in one of the Trump apartment buildings anyway. The interesting thing is Black Americans are the only folks whose history involves being forced to come here. I know, the wildly popular governor you worship thinks all that free labor and living in chains was on the job training.
My Take
August 21, 2024 at 5:24 pm
the only folks whose history involves being forced to come here.
=========
Wasn’t Georgia considered a penal colony at first?
Or maybe just a debters’ penal colony.
Dr. Franklin Waters
August 21, 2024 at 12:52 pm
Typical Boomer behavior from Trump. I see so many old and out of touch people on Facebook sharing obviously AI generated images believing they’re real.
Dont Say FLA
August 21, 2024 at 1:11 pm
There’s no reason to grant Turnip Truck the attention for which he is clearly so desperate. Sad. Pathetic. Moving along now.
My Take
August 21, 2024 at 5:27 pm
Turnip Truck
=======
Funny.
Years ago I was riding down an interstate and pulled up behind A TURNIP TRUCK !
Brim full. But nobody on top of the pile.
Fell off I guess.
Super Elvis
August 22, 2024 at 6:45 am
Good Morn ‘Ting America,
Well Tay Tay and I, SUPER ELVIS, had a breakthru last night and thankfully we are meeting with Don and Don JR. really soon to determine how Tay Tay can best serve the Trump Administration now and for the entire Glorious Trump term in office.
To all my fans, I, SUPER ELVIS, ask you to keep the Trump/Tay Tay Team on the Down Low for now. We will do a “BIG REALLY BIGLEY” public release very soon in order to provide Tay Tay the “BIGLEY BOOST” her carreer needs.
Thank you all Fans of SUPER ELVIS,
Yours Truley,
SUPER ELVIS [FKA EARL]
Super Elvis
August 22, 2024 at 6:57 am
…. at this time we are looking at making Tay Tay the “CZAR” of something. Likely she will serve as The Bestest Ever Border CZAR in the history of history.
SUPER ELVIS
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