Trump’s AI Video Strategy Reshapes His Political Approach

President Donald Trump is leveraging artificial intelligence as a powerful political tool, using it to amplify his message and enhance his online persona with remarkable effectiveness, according to experts tracking digital political communication.

Over the weekend, Trump posted a highly produced AI-generated video on Truth Social that depicted himself wearing a crown, piloting a fighter jet labeled “King Trump,” and dropping what appeared to be excrement on protesters below. The video seemingly referenced the recent nationwide “No Kings” rallies that drew millions of demonstrators across the country.

This provocative post is not an isolated incident but part of a calculated evolution in Trump’s digital strategy. Communications experts note that this approach combines AI-generated spectacle with the combative, meme-driven style that has characterized his political messaging for nearly a decade.

At a press conference Monday, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson defended the video, saying, “You can argue he’s probably the most effective person who’s ever used social media for that. He is using satire to make a point. He is not calling for the murder of his political opponents.”

Trump himself dismissed the protests when speaking to reporters Sunday, stating, “I’m not a king. I work my ass off to make our country great. That’s all it is.”

The former president’s increasing reliance on AI-generated content has become a defining feature of his digital presence. In recent months, he has shared numerous AI-created images and videos portraying himself as a pope, a warrior, and even as a Nobel Peace Prize winner – all designed to reinforce his political persona and mock critics. Last month, he posted an AI video of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wearing a fake mustache and sombrero, which Jeffries and civil rights groups condemned as racist.

Some of these posts have ventured into misinformation territory. One video promoted “medbeds” – a nonexistent hospital technology that has been a popular conspiracy theory in QAnon circles online. Earlier this year, Trump shared an AI-generated video titled “Trump Gaza,” which reimagined the Gaza Strip as a Dubai-style resort. The clip, originally created by independent producers as a parody, was reposted by Trump and widely interpreted as an endorsement of his earlier suggestion to “level” Gaza and develop a “Riviera of the Middle East.” The video drew condemnation from Western and Arab leaders alike.

Cayce Myers, professor of communication at Virginia Tech, warns that these videos have more “traction” and “resonance” than static images and could usher in a new era of political messaging. “It’s part of this larger conversation around where the Gen Z voters see themselves,” Myers explains. “Gen Z is very different from older generations, and they also seem to have a greater appetite for that kind of commentary, that kind of visual commentary.”

This shift reflects broader changes in political communication’s tone and tolerance. “I think that we’re in a political space where the appetite for political content that would in previous generations be seen as distasteful, is now palatable,” Myers adds.

Bret Schafer, senior fellow in media and digital disinformation at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, describes this as a “complete shift” in political communication. “The use of memes and the use of what we used to consider stuff that would exist in the worlds of Reddit, now has drifted into the discourse of elected leaders,” he says. “I don’t think it is good for our kind of political discourse in this country to adopt the online style of podcasters, vloggers, and partisan communicators.”

Experts warn that Trump’s growing use of AI coincides with rapid improvements in generative technology. Ben Colman, CEO of deepfake-detection firm Reality Defender, points out that new tools like OpenAI’s Sora 2 are producing more realistic and accessible AI media than ever before.

“It’s better quality, but better quality for really bad use cases,” Colman says. “Generative AI and deepfakes are accelerating misinformation, scams, and attacks on elected officials, minorities, and women. The platforms are effectively marketplaces for attention, and it’s a better return on investment if you’re trying to generate attention to extreme views.”

Colman emphasizes that the issue transcends partisan lines: “This isn’t limited to one party, audience, or belief. Everyone is doing it to everyone, and everyone is vulnerable regardless of notability or background.”

The rise of AI-driven propaganda presents new regulatory challenges. According to Myers, the Trump Administration has taken a largely hands-off approach to AI, favoring private-sector innovation over oversight. Recent Executive Orders have focused on preventing “woke” influences in government-funded AI projects and declaring that the U.S. must “achieve global dominance in artificial intelligence.”

Meanwhile, Elon Musk, who worked in the Trump administration, has aligned his company xAI with similar messaging. Grok, its conversational AI platform, has faced criticism for promoting inflammatory content and right-wing conspiracy theories.

As generative video tools become more affordable and sophisticated, Myers predicts the political use of AI will only expand. “It’s not just some sort of one-off post,” he concludes. “It’s creating an agenda and creating a national dialog around a particular issue. It’s using a kind of comedic satire through AI generative video to shape that agenda.”