In an unexpected turn, a video featuring the late Fred Trump, father of former US President Donald Trump, has surfaced, condemning his son’s potential candidacy in the upcoming 2024 election. The video, created by the political action committee, The Lincoln Project, utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) technology to depict Fred Trump delivering scathing remarks about his son’s capabilities and character.
Fred Trump, a real estate developer and businessman like his son, passed away in 1999. The AI-generated video portrays him expressing disappointment in Donald Trump, stating, “Donny, I always knew you’d blow it. You were always a fool – a joke, low rent.”
The video continues to criticize the former president’s business dealings as “all garbage,” accuses him of personal underperformance, and alleges that his “children hate him, especially the girl [Ivanka Trump].”
The Lincoln Project, positioning itself as a “pro-democracy organization,” aims to deter Trump’s potential return to the White House in the 2024 election. The video concludes with a disclaimer, clarifying that it was “generated in whole or substantially by artificial intelligence” and contains content that did not occur in reality.
This AI-generated video is part of a broader trend of election misdirection leading up to the 2024 elections. Earlier in the race for the Republican nomination, candidate and Florida governor Ron DeSantis released an AI-generated video depicting Trump embracing Anthony Fauci, the former White House medical advisor during the COVID-19 pandemic, without providing a disclaimer about its falseness.
The use of AI in election misinformation has raised concerns. In January, voters in New Hampshire received AI-generated robocalls imitating President Joe Biden, prompting the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to announce a ban on AI-generated voices in robocalls.
Additionally, Midjourney, a popular AI image platform, is considering a ban on political images ahead of the 2024 election due to the platform being exploited to create fabricated images, such as Trump being handcuffed by federal agents.
As the 2024 election approaches, experts suggest that Trump, currently leading in the Republican primaries, is likely to face a rematch against President Joe Biden, who faces no competition for the Democratic nomination. The emergence of AI-generated content adds a new layer of complexity to the evolving landscape of political campaigning and misinformation.