In online commentary on his knock-off social media site Truth Social, former President Donald Trump alleged that artificial intelligence was responsible for video footage played of him during Congressional proceedings on Tuesday. There’s no clear evidence supporting his claims.
At a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee spurring these remarks, Democrats shared a brief but impactful montage of recent incidents of Trump struggling through some of his public commentary. Examples included the former president-turned-presumptive GOP nominee becoming outright unintelligible, referring to Barack Obama in place of Joe Biden when trying to discuss the current president, and suggesting that the name of Pennsylvania would be changed if Democrats see electoral success. There’s no evidence suggesting that.
“The Hur Report was revealed today! A disaster for Biden, a two tiered standard of justice. Artificial Intelligence was used by them against me in their videos of me. Can’t do that Joe!” Trump wrote. Though he tried to credit incumbent President Joe Biden, who is Trump’s expected challenger in the general election later this year, for the footage played in Congress, there’s zero clear indication the president was involved in its assemblage. The White House and Congressional Democrats are distinct groups.
Trump’s attempt at blaming AI contrasts with his past excuses for his so-called gaffes. He’s claimed, for instance, that in referring to Obama instead of Biden he was trying to make some kind of claim involving the former president and Trump’s predecessor in office being behind some of the Biden camp’s moves… another theory that is not clearly supported by the evidence. While Obama publicly supports the presidential administration helmed by his former vice president, he is not in any official position in government, and there’s no indication of him holding a controlling role behind the scenes, either.
