In a recent twist in the political landscape, the presidential campaign of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has stirred controversy by sharing doctored images generated by artificial intelligence (AI). The images depict former President Donald Trump engaging in affectionate gestures, such as hugging and kissing his former chief medical advisor, Dr. Anthony Fauci. These images, accompanied by a video, serve as a critique of Trump’s earlier collaboration with Fauci during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fauci’s advocacy for community-wide measures like shutdowns, mask-wearing, and vaccinations, which drew the ire of conservatives, is contrasted with DeSantis’ stance as the governor of Florida, where he opposed such measures as the pandemic surged. It is worth noting that Florida currently ranks among the top three states with the highest COVID-19 cases and related deaths.
The video, published on the DeSantis War Room Twitter account, begins with a dramatic tone, featuring footage of Trump from his reality show, The Apprentice, uttering his iconic phrase, “You’re fired.” It then transitions into a seemingly contrasting atmosphere, accompanied by the gentle sounds of a toy piano typically associated with children’s toys. Trump is heard praising Fauci as a “wonderful guy” and justifying his inability to dismiss Fauci during his presidency due to potential backlash. Around the 25-second mark, the video displays a collage of three images, including two instances of Trump hugging Fauci and one of Trump kissing Fauci on his left eye.
Critics have pointed out several irregularities within these images, suggesting their artificial nature. The Verge, a prominent technology website, highlighted the unnatural positioning of their faces in the image where Trump kisses Fauci, as well as the nonsensical text on the White House seal in the background, resembling Cyrillic characters. These errors are often observed in AI-generated images, as recreating legible text proves challenging for AI software. Additionally, attempts to verify the authenticity of these images using a Google reverse image search have yielded no results.
The DeSantis War Room Twitter account responsible for sharing these images was launched by Christina Pushaw, an aide closely associated with right-wing media outlets who previously defended DeSantis’ controversial “Don’t Say Gay” law. Pushaw’s rhetoric, which has been echoed by white supremacists and neo-Nazis, targeted opponents of the law with baseless claims. DeSantis’ campaign has remained tight-lipped regarding whether the images were indeed AI-generated, while Twitter has appended a note beneath the video confirming their artificial nature.
The dissemination of these manipulated images has drawn criticism from various quarters, including Senator J.D. Vance, who denounced DeSantis’ ad on Twitter, labeling the use of fake AI images as “completely unacceptable.” Highlighting the prevalence of misinformation, Vance urged people to exercise increased skepticism when encountering content on the internet. It is worth mentioning that Trump himself has previously shared AI-generated “deepfake” videos, mocking figures such as gay CNN anchor Anderson Cooper and even DeSantis. Recently, a satirist named Justin T. Brown also created AI-generated images featuring Trump and former President Barack Obama separately engaging in intimate acts with men, shedding light on the potential impact of AI-generated political misinformation on future election outcomes.
