The Zone

President Donald Trump posted a cartoon on Truth Social depicting Joe Biden as asleep, Barack Obama holding an Autopen sign, and a figure resembling Hunter Biden snorting cocaine in the Oval Office, describing the image as a 'highly accurate depiction'.

This event demonstrates the use of ad hominem attacks and AI-generated propaganda to delegitimize former leaders. By sharing a vile caricature of the Oval Office, the president erodes the dignity of the office and denigrates his political opponents through childish insults.

President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself holding a gun with explosions in the background and the caption 'NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!' on Truth Social to threaten Iran, stating the country 'better get smart soon!'

The use of AI-generated imagery to issue threats of military violence against a foreign nation is a form of propaganda and reckless governance. This behavior undermines traditional diplomatic norms and uses intimidation to conduct foreign policy.

President Donald Trump shared an AI-generated image on Truth Social depicting himself in a white robe healing a sick man, which critics and religious leaders described as depicting himself as Jesus Christ. Trump later deleted the post and claimed he intended the image to represent him as a doctor.

This event demonstrates a pattern of narcissism and the use of AI propaganda to project a divine or messianic image of himself. By blurring the lines between political leadership and religious iconography, he further promotes Christian nationalism and erodes the same boundaries that traditionally separate church and state.

President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image on Truth Social depicting himself as a Jesus-like figure healing a sick person. The post followed a public disagreement with Pope Leo XIV over U.S. military actions against Iran and Venezuela. Trump later deleted the post after facing backlash from both conservative Christian commentators and former allies, later claiming the image was intended to depict him as a Red Cross doctor.

This event demonstrates a pattern of narcissism and the use of AI propaganda to project a divine or messianic image of himself. By depicting himself as a savior figure, Trump erodes the traditional separation of church and state and promotes a form of Christian nationalism that centers on his own person.

President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image on Truth Social depicting himself as a Jesus-like figure healing a sick man. Following widespread backlash from both political sides and conservative Christian leaders, Trump deleted the post and claimed he believed the image depicted him as a doctor.

This event demonstrates a pattern of narcissism and a disregard for religious sensibilities, as the president used AI-generated imagery to present himself in a divine likeness. The subsequent claim that he misinterpreted the image as depicting a doctor further highlights a potential lack of judgment or incompetence in official communications.

The White House shared an AI-manipulated image of a woman being arrested, characterizing the post as a 'meme.'

The use of AI-generated deceptive content by the official White House account to mock a citizen is an abuse of power and a form of state-sponsored propaganda. This behavior erodes public trust in official government communications and undermines democratic norms regarding the truthful representation of events.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released an AI-generated Christmas advertisement urging undocumented immigrants to leave the U.S. voluntarily. The video depicts Santa Claus wearing a bulletproof vest and ICE logo, detaining migrants and escorting them onto a plane for deportation, while encouraging them to avoid 'Santa's naughty list' by self-deporting.

The use of a festive holiday figure to promote mass deportation and threaten migrants with the 'naughty list' demonstrates a level of cruelty and dehumanization. By utilizing AI-generated propaganda to intimidate immigrants, the government is weaponizing federal agencies to target a specific population through mockery and psychological pressure.

Fox News published a story claiming that SNAP beneficiaries were threatening to ransack stores due to a government shutdown, based on AI-generated videos. The network later updated the story with a correction noting that the videos were AI-generated.

The dissemination of AI-generated misinformation by a major news organization undermines public trust in information and erodes institutions by presenting fabricated events as factual reporting. This failure in basic fact-checking demonstrates a lack of ethics in journalism and ethics in the public discourse.

President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video to Truth Social depicting himself wearing a crown and piloting a fighter jet that drops feces on protesters in New York City, including influencer Harry Sisson, during the 'No Kings' rallies.

The use of AI-generated content to mock and dehumanize political opponents is a form of AI propaganda and a degradation of the presidential office. By depicting the act of dumping waste on citizens, the president is engaging in childish insults and a performative presidency that prioritizes internet trolling over governance.

President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated music video featuring Russell Vought as the Grim Reaper and depicting Democrats as babies, some of whom are wearing sombreros. The video, created by the 'Dilley Meme Team,' uses an AI cover of '(Don't Fear) The Reaper' and mocks the Democratic Party's policies on immigration and government spending.

The use of AI-generated content to mock political opponents through childish insults and dehumanizing imagery is a departure from presidential norms. This behavior demonstrates a pattern of using propaganda and ad hominem attacks to delegitimize political rivals rather than engaging in substantive policy debate.

President Donald Trump shared an AI-generated video on Truth Social, purportedly from Fox News, which claimed that 'medbeds'—fictional medical devices that can cure any disease—would be available to all U.S. citizens through a new healthcare system. Trump later deleted the post.

The promotion of fantastical, non-existent medical technology by the President of the United States encourages the spread of dangerous health misinformation. This behavior undermines public trust in science and encourages citizens to seek fraudulent treatments over evidence-based medicine.

On September 27, 2025, President Donald Trump shared an AI-generated video on Truth Social promoting 'medbeds,' a cure-all medical conspiracy theory with roots in the QAnon movement. The video, which resembled a Fox News segment but never aired on the network, featured an AI rendering of Trump promising that every American would soon receive a 'medbed card' for guaranteed access to advanced medical technology. The post was later deleted.

The promotion of a cure-all medical conspiracy theory by a sitting president leverages AI-generated misinformation to deceive the public. This behavior erodes trust in legitimate medical institutions and promotes dangerous health misinformation that can lead people to seek fake cures over evidence-based medicine.

The Trump administration's White House Task Force 250 partnered with the conservative nonprofit PragerU to create 'The Founders Museum,' a history exhibit located in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. The exhibit features 82 paintings and over 40 AI-generated videos of historical figures, which historians have criticized for blurring the lines between reality and fiction and omitting marginalized voices.

The use of government resources to promote a specific ideological own-brand of history through a non-accredited organization like PragerU represents a form of state-sponsored propaganda. By utilizing AI to synthesize historical figures' voices and attributing modern conservative talking points to them, the administration is engaging in historical revisionism to shape public perception of the nation's founding.

President Donald Trump posted a deepfake video on Truth Social showing former President Barack Obama being arrested by FBI agents in the Oval Office and subsequently imprisoned in an orange jumpsuit.

The use of AI-generated misinformation to depict a political opponent as a criminal is a form of propaganda that erodes public trust in truth. By depicting the weaponization of federal law enforcement against a former president, the post further undermines the rule of law and promotes racial divisiveness.

President Donald Trump posted a fabricated AI video on Truth Social showing former President Barack Obama being arrested by FBI agents in the Oval Office and subsequently imprisoned in an orange jumpsuit.

The use of AI-generated misinformation to depict the arrest of a former president is a clear example of AI propaganda and the demonization of political opponents. This behavior undermines the democratic norm of peaceful transitions of power and promotes the use of law enforcement for political retribution.

Following a social media post and public comments on Sunday, May 25, 2025, in which President Donald Trump criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for 'needlessly killing a lot of people' in Ukraine, pro-Kremlin bots on the platform VKontakte began ridiculing him, calling him a 'clown' and claiming he suffers from 'dementia.'

This event demonstrates the use of automated propaganda tools by a foreign adversary to target and manipulate public perception of the US president. The use of ad hominem attacks and coordinated bot activity reflects an attempt to erode the stability of US leadership and undermine the US government's position on global conflicts.

President Donald Trump posted a manipulated video to Truth Social depicting himself hitting singer Bruce Springsteen with a golf ball, causing the musician to fall. The post was part of a larger public feud in which Trump accused Springsteen of being a 'pushy, obnoxious JERK' and suggested that Springsteen and other celebrities had received illegal campaign contributions from Kamala Harris.

This event demonstrates the use of manipulated media to mock and intimidate a private citizen and political critic. By depicting physical violence against a critic, the president is using his platform to engage in ad hominem attacks and petty revenge, which erodes the norms of presidential conduct.

President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself dressed in papal regalia to Truth Social on Friday, May 2, 2025, and the image was later promoted by the White House official X account. Following criticism from Catholic leaders and the New York State Catholic Conference, Trump claimed on Monday, May 5, 2025, that Catholics 'loved it' and dismissed the backlash as the work of 'fake news media'.

This event demonstrates a disregard for religious sensibilities and the use of official government channels to promote AI-generated misinformation. By dismissing critics as 'fake news' and denying responsibility for the post, the president is exhibiting a pattern of avoiding accountability for his actions.

Following his administration's push to strike down New York City's congestion pricing, Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that 'Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!' The White House's X account shared the statement with a mock Time magazine cover depicting the president wearing a crown, while Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich shared an AI-generated image of Trump in a crown and regal cape.

The use of monarchical language and imagery by the president and official White House communications channels to describe the president's authority is a direct contradiction of American democratic norms. This behavior signals an embrace of authoritarian rhetoric and a disregard for the laws and checks and balances that define a republic.