Donald Trump’s fascination with AI videos is well-known. So, possibly attempting to “change” the agenda monopolized by the Epstein case, the American president uploaded a deepfake video showing the “arrest” and imprisonment of his predecessor, Barack Obama.
Trump shared the AI video on his Truth Social platform account on Sunday, originally created by a MAGA supporter on TikTok, after previously praising U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who publicly accused Obama and some of his administration’s top officials of participating in what she called a “treasonous conspiracy” to undermine Trump’s 2016 election victory.
The video begins with footage of Obama and other prominent Democrats noting that “no one is above the law.” It then shows Pepe the Frog, a meme mascot of the American far-right dressed as a clown, followed by AI-generated images depicting Obama’s supposed arrest by FBI agents during his Oval Office meeting with Trump in November 2016. The images subsequently show Obama in an orange prison uniform, while one of Trump’s favorite songs, “YMCA” by the Village People, plays throughout the video.
Donald J. Trump Truth Social 07.20.25 06:47 PM EST pic.twitter.com/Xf5LYzkZiI
— Fan Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) July 20, 2025
Trump’s move and targeting of the Obama administration
Trump’s move was preceded by Gabbard’s Friday announcement that she was referring Obama administration officials to the Justice Department for prosecution regarding claims that they “fabricated” information to promote the idea that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.
Since Friday, Trump has made at least 17 posts related to Gabbard’s announcement. She claimed that recently declassified documents prove that Obama and some of his cabinet members “politicized intelligence to lay the groundwork for what was essentially a coup against President Trump.”
Democrats dismissed Gabbard’s claims as baseless and error-filled. Senator Mark Warner from Virginia, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said it was “yet another example of the director of national intelligence’s attempt to cook the books.”
Reactions to the video posted by Donald Trump
The video divided viewers, with Trump supporters like far-right commentator Nick Sortor posting on X that he wants the arrest of Obama to “become reality,” but critics calling it inflammatory and noting that the timing is not coincidental, as the Trump administration faces backlash from parts of MAGA over handling of the Epstein files.
Many argue that Gabbard’s claims and the deepfake video are being used to distract public opinion.
