After meeting with Democratic congressional leaders to try and avert a looming federal government shutdown just 24 hours away, President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video mocking them to his social media platform.
The video, which is 35 seconds long, shows House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaking with reporters outside of the White House. Jeffries is seen standing silently, with a crudely drawn sombrero and twirly mustache while mariachi music plays in the background. A deepfake voice of Schumer is heard lamenting that Democrats are unpopular and losing voters among various minority groups.
"Not even Black people want to vote for us anymore. Even Latinos hate us," the deepfake Schumer is heard saying.
Multiple journalists, commentators and others on social media were quick to condemn the Trump administration for the video, Former U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica Luis Moreno called "adolescent and over the top racist." Health informatics expert Damian Barbolla lamented that Trump being in the White House was "like being governed by a toddler," and that his administration was "embarrassing on every front."
"Disgusting. You need to grow up," tweeted former Norfolk, Virginia news anchor David Alan.
"This is our president’s mind," wrote Metro Weekly editor Randy Shulman. "This is sick. He’s sick. He’s killing America."
Media strategist Todd Domke also heaped criticism on Jeffries and Schumer, questioning their judgment for trying to "negotiate with a deranged ignoramus who bashes them this way." He added that Trump was "an imbecile whose staff and Congressional allies don’t trust him to negotiate anything."
The negotiations over the shutdown have hit an impasse, with Democrats saying the current bill to keep the government open was written without any Democratic input — even despite Republicans needing seven Democratic votes in the U.S. Senate to get the bill to Trump's desk. Democrats are also demanding that Republicans include an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies in order to keep health insurance premiums affordable for millions of Americans. Trump has insisted without evidence that those subsidies would be exploited by undocumented immigrants and that Democrats wanted to "force taxpayers to fund transgender surgery for minors." Politico reported that Trump's claims have "puzzled even some fellow Republicans."