House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) condemned President Donald Trump’s Truth Social post that used artificial intelligence to edit a clip of him, only to become the subject of a second post.
Trump posted an altered video of Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) after he met with them to discuss negotiations over government funding. In the video posted Monday, Jeffries is edited to appear to have a mustache and a sombrero, and an AI version of Schumer’s voice issues a tirade against the Democratic Party.
“Look, guys, there’s no way to sugarcoat it: Nobody likes Democrats anymore. We have no voters left because of all of our woke trans bulls***,” the AI voiceover says. “Not even black people want to vote for us anymore, even Latinos hate us. So we need new voters. If we give all these illegals free healthcare, we might be able to get us on our side so that they vote for us.”
On Tuesday, Jeffries appeared on MSNBC’s The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, criticizing Trump’s video.
“It’s a disgusting video, and we’re going to continue to make clear: Bigotry will get you nowhere,” Jeffries said.
Trump then used the Jefferies interview to make another clip, which he shared on all of his social media platforms late Tuesday with another alteration.
In the second clip posted by Trump, five AI versions of Trump playing a guitar and trumpet appear behind Jeffries. Every version of Trump is also wearing a sombrero, which also appears on Jeffries’s head along with a mustache. The Mexican song “El Jarabe Tapatio” begins playing in the background.
“We are fighting to protect the healthcare of the American people in the face of an unprecedented Republican assault,” Jeffries said on Trump’s clip of the segment of The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell.
Jeffries addressed the second video during a Wednesday press conference on the steps of the Capitol.
“Mr. President, the next time you have something to say about me, don’t cop out through a racist and fake AI video,” Jeffries said. “When I’m back in the Oval Office, say it to my face.”
When asked about the video, Jeffries told reporters on the scene, “It’s deeply unserious.”
WHAT HAPPENS DURING A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN?
This post was part of a flurry of content by the president in the hours leading up to the government shutdown, which began at midnight Wednesday. Trump also posted a photo of his congressional leadership meeting with Jeffries and Schumer featuring two “Trump 2028” caps on his desk.
While some outlets reported that the two Democratic leaders were offered the hats, Jeffries dismissed those reports. Instead, Jeffries explained to reporters after the meeting that the hats “randomly appeared in the middle of the meeting on the desk. It was the strangest thing ever.”
