Donald Trump has taken to the right-wing social site Truth Social to post AI deepfake images falsely depicting Taylor Swift and her fans endorsing his campaign.
The presidential candidate posted the images, all of which appear to be AI-generated deepfakes taken from right-wing social media accounts with a history of sharing misinformation, along with a message saying: “I accept!”
One image shows a screenshot of a fake news story "Swifties turning to Trump after ISIS foiled Taylor Swift concert," suggesting Swift fans turned to Trump after one of the singer’s concerts was cancelled in Vienna after being targeted by the terrorist group.
Another image features a play on the famous Uncle Sam World War One army recruiting poster reading: "Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump". All of the images were faked.
Given Swift's influence - her Instagram post last September urging voter registration led to over 35,000 new sign-ups - it’s clear why Trump might target her fanbase. But it’s unlikely many will be deceived by the AI-manipulated images, given Swift’s well-known political stance against him.
Swift, who has not publicly endorsed a presidential candidate for November’s election, supported the Democratic Party in 2020. She also publicly criticised Trump during his presidency amid nationwide protests following George Floyd’s by police officers.
“After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence?” she posted on X, then known as Twitter, in 2020. “We will vote you out in November.”
#SwiftiesForTrump
Swift is yet to respond to Trump’s post. The images are the most recent in a string of AI-generated images posted by Trump in recent days as the presidential candidate, known for spreading misinformation, further confuses the American public in an already tense presidential campaign.
On Sunday, he shared an AI-generated image depicting presidential nominee Kamala Harris speaking at a communist rally at the Democratic National Convention, which is being held in Chicago this week.
Trump also falsely claimed last week that a genuine photo showing thousands of supporters attending a campaign rally held by Harris and her running mate Tim Walz at a Detroit aircraft hangar was AI-generated.
“Has anyone noticed that Kamala CHEATED at the airport?” Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social. “There was nobody at the plane, and she ‘A.I.’d’ it, and showed a massive ‘crowd’ of so-called followers, BUT THEY DIDN’T EXIST!”
During the 2020 election cycle, Taylor Swift backed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, telling V Magazine: “The change we need most is to elect a president who recognizes that people of colour deserve to feel safe and represented, that women deserve the right to choose what happens to their bodies, and that the LGBTQIA+ community deserves to be acknowledged and included.
Everyone deserves a government that takes global health risks seriously and puts the lives of its people first. The only way we can begin to make things better is to choose leaders who are willing to face these issues and find ways to work through them.
“I will proudly vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in this year’s presidential election. Under their leadership, I believe America has a chance to start the healing process it so desperately needs.”
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
Deepfakes in politics
The incident highlights growing concerns about the use of AI in spreading misinformation, especially in high-stakes environments like elections. Although the U.S. currently lacks comprehensive legislation to regulate AI, cases like this could expedite the introduction of such laws.
Meanwhile, the European Union has already implemented the AI Act, which introduces new regulations on the development and use of artificial intelligence, including consumer rights and liability provisions.
This is not the first time Swift has been impacted by controversial AI image generators . In January, explicit deep fakes of Taylor Swift circulated online prompting X (formerly Twitter) to suspend accounts, though the images persisted on other platforms like Instagram and Reddit.
A study by cybersecurity firm Deeptrace found that 96% of deepfake content online involves non-consensual, underscoring the severe implications of unchecked AI use.
In the days preceding the Swift fake posts, Trump also took to X to share an AI-generated image of Kamala Harries holding a communist military rally at the Democratic National Convention. Trump also shared a deep fake video of him dancing with Elon Musk who has endorsed him.
Trump's behaviour continues to fuel the ongoing debate about the ethical use of AI in political campaigns. As deepfake and AI technology continue to advance, the challenge of distinguishing fact from misinformation will only become more difficult.
