MAGA Camp Spreads Fake AI Images of Trump Hugging Black People

Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / AI-Generated Image

In an election year already rife with weird and misleading uses of AI, Trump supporters are now sharing fake images of the former president with his arms around Black voters to claim he’s popular with them. The BBC discovered dozens of deepfakes circling social media, which often appear realistic on first glance but feature telltale signs of AI interference, like webbed hands or missing fingers. Mark Kaye, a conservative radio host who made one of these viral images, disavowed any responsibility for potentially misleading voters when asked about their effects. “I’m not a photojournalist,” he said, “I’m a storyteller.” He added, “If anybody’s voting one way or another because of one photo they see on a Facebook page, that’s a problem with that person, not with the post itself.” In the past few months, Trump has made frequent appeals to Black voters, who played a significant role in Joe Biden’s electoral victory in 2020. In February, Trump claimed “Black people like me” because “I’m being discriminated against” by being federally indicted multiple times.

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