AI deepfakes become new weapon in escalating partisan political warfare

Democratic Representative Jared Moskowitz posted an AI-generated video of feces being dropped on House Speaker Mike Johnson’s head, calling it “satire” in response to Johnson’s defense of President Trump’s similar offensive video. The escalating use of AI-generated content for political trolling highlights how deepfake technology is becoming a weapon in partisan warfare, with elected officials now creating and defending increasingly crude digital attacks.

What happened: Trump over the weekend posted an AI-generated video showing himself as “KING TRUMP” dumping brown liquid on “No Kings” protesters who oppose his expansive executive authority.
• Johnson defended the president’s video, calling Trump “the most effective person who’s ever used social media” and dismissing the content as “satire.”
• Moskowitz responded by creating his own AI video targeting Johnson with the same scatological imagery, writing “Just using social media and satire Mr Speaker.”

Democratic pushback: Other Democratic lawmakers criticized Johnson’s defense of Trump’s crude content without resorting to similar tactics.
• “Trump sharing that obscene video was totally disgusting,” Senator Patty Murray wrote, adding “It’s genuinely pathetic to see elected leaders like Speaker Johnson twisting themselves into pretzels to put on a show for the President like this.”
• Representative Sean Casten said, “Mike Johnson is too much of a coward to condemn pooping on people.”
• Arizona Representative Yassamin Ansari questioned Johnson directly: “… and what is that point, Mike?”

Pattern of behavior: This marks the latest instance of Johnson defending Trump’s controversial AI-generated content.
• Earlier this month, Democratic Rep. Madeleine Dean confronted Johnson about a deepfake video Trump posted featuring House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a sombrero and mustache.
• When pressed to “call out” Trump for the racist imagery, Johnson responded that the video was “not my style” but stopped short of condemning it.

The bigger picture: Trump’s administration has increasingly embraced meme culture and AI-generated content as political weapons.
• The president regularly reposts photoshopped or AI-generated images on Truth Social that either flatter his appearance or attack political opponents.
• The “No Kings” video specifically targets protesters opposing Trump’s use of executive authority, reflecting his stance toward constitutional limitations on presidential power.