TLDR:
- Donald Trump shared AI-generated images of Taylor Swift supporting him
- Trump claims he didn’t create the images and doesn’t know much about them
- He expressed concerns about the dangers of AI in political contexts
- Swift has not commented on the images but endorsed Biden in 2020
- Trump allies have reportedly declared a “holy war” against Swift
Former President Donald Trump has addressed the recent controversy surrounding AI-generated images of pop star Taylor Swift supposedly endorsing his 2024 presidential campaign.
The images, which Trump shared on his social media platform Truth Social, depicted Swift and her fans wearing “Swifties for Trump” t-shirts and portrayed Swift as Uncle Sam encouraging votes for Trump.
In an interview with Fox Business, Trump claimed ignorance about the origins of the images.
“I don’t know anything about them other than somebody else generated them. I didn’t generate them,”
Trump stated. He acknowledged that some of the images were real, while others were clearly marked as satire.
The former president expressed concern about the broader implications of AI technology in politics. “AI is always very dangerous in that way,” Trump said, noting that he has also been a target of AI-generated content.
“It’s happening with me too. They’re having me speak. I speak perfectly, absolutely perfectly on AI, and I’m like endorsing other products and things. It’s a little bit dangerous out there,” he added.
When asked if he was worried about potential legal action from Swift, Trump appeared unconcerned. He reiterated that he did not create the images himself and suggested that this would protect him from any lawsuits.
Swift, who has not commented on the 2024 presidential race, endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 election. She has been vocal about her political views in recent years, encouraging her fans to vote and speaking out on various social issues.
I spoke to @vmagazine about why I’ll be voting for Joe Biden for president. So apt that it’s come out on the night of the VP debate. Gonna be watching and supporting @KamalaHarris by yelling at the tv a lot. And I also have custom cookies 🍪💪😘
📷 @inezandvinoodh pic.twitter.com/DByvIgKocr
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) October 7, 2020
The controversy comes amid reports of tension between Trump and Swift. In January, Rolling Stone reported that Trump allies had declared a “holy war” against the pop star.
Trump allegedly claimed in private that he was “more popular” than Swift. In June, CNN reported that Trump spent time during a Capitol Hill meeting complaining about the singer, questioning why she would endorse Biden.
Trump’s campaign has attempted to capitalize on the situation. Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung stated, “Swifties for Trump is a massive movement that grows bigger every single day,” although there is no evidence of such a movement existing.
As of now, Swift has not responded to the AI-generated images or Trump’s comments.
