U.S. President Donald Trump intensified his attacks on former President Barack Obama. On the 20th local time, Trump accused Obama of fraud during the 2016 presidential election and released an AI-generated video showing Obama being arrested and imprisoned. Supporters described this as a “bold political offensive” launched by Trump. Critics argue that Trump spreads fake news and is extremely irresponsible, attempting to stir up tensions within the United States. The Washington Post reported on the 20th that this was the latest episode of “Cold War” between Trump and his predecessors.
According to a report by Newsweek’s website on the 20th, Trump shared a 45-second video on the “Reality Social” platform that day, titled “No one can be above the law.” In the video, Obama showcased his oratory skills, stating, “No one can be above the law.” Following this, several American politicians including former President Biden also expressed, “No one can be above the law.” The video then transitioned to an AI-generated segment where Trump and Obama sat together in the Oval Office of the White House, followed by Obama being handcuffed and placed under surveillance by agents while listening to Trump’s classic campaign song “YMCA.” When Obama was arrested, the AI-generated Trump burst into laughter. At the end of the video, Obama, dressed in orange prison attire, was seen in a cell.
This video has been widely shared across various social media platforms. The UK’sMirror newspaper’s American edition stated on the 21st that this AI video sparked a political storm. Trump had long threatened to investigate, prosecute, jail, or punish political opponents in other ways. On the 20th, Trump wrote: “An expert panel has made an excellent argument that it is necessary to sue or imprison Obama and those ‘criminals’ who were recently exposed at the highest level of elections as fraudsters.”
Supporters of Trump cheered in response to this move.
Nick Soto, a right-wing commentator in the United States, wrote on social media X: “Obama will spend his life in prison. Secretary of Justice, Pamela Condi, please make this reality.” Conservative internet celebrity Egman stated: “The stupid decision by the Supreme Court has made it impossible to arrest Obama.” Some users on X praised the video as a bold political offensive by Trump. Fox News reported on the 20th that this represents Trump’s recognition of the recent claims by the US intelligence community about the fabrication of evidence linking President Obama to Trump’s alleged Russian ties in 2016.
However, some have criticized this. India’s Republic World reported on the 21st that Trump’s failure to declare the video fictional sparked widespread controversy among social media users. Critics condemned Trump for attempting to stir up tensions. They criticized the video for being extremely irresponsible and warned that it could foster the spread of misinformation. This incident once again raised debates about Trump’s provocative rhetoric and the dangers of unchecked artificial intelligence in political discussions.
“Trump is playing a Cold War with his predecessor,” The Washington Post said on the 20th. Six months ago, there had been only minor disputes between Trump and Obama, but now they have evolved into a continuous, low-intensity conflict. Democratic Senator Chris Cogan stated that Trump’s attacks on former President largely stemmed from his need for an enemy. Democratic strategist Andrew Bates, who worked under Biden’s administration, mentioned that Trump was increasing his attack efforts, trying to divert attention. “He is eager to talk about his predecessors and anyone else because he knows his support is declining,” Bates said.
Trump’s latest move seems to be responding to the National Intelligence Director Ghabri. On the 20th, Fox News mentioned that the exposure of this video coincided with Ghabri accusing Obama and his intelligence chief of fabricating evidence linking Trump to Russia.
In an interview with Fox News on the 20th, Gardner stated, “Frankly speaking, this matter has historical significance.” She mentioned, “We have released over 100 documents and provided relevant evidence on the 18th detailing how the plot to sabotage the Trump presidency was orchestrated just weeks before Obama’s expected departure from office, while Trump had already been elected president.” She also noted that the Attorney General and Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation would collect all the evidence and proceed with a lawsuit.
On the same day, the National Intelligence Director Office in the United States issued a statement, revealing that Gardner disclosed evidence on the 20th showing that during the 2016 presidential election, then-President Obama and members of his national security cabinet attempted to undermine Trump’s victory by fabricating intelligence. Gardner told Fox News on the 20th, “Fabricating these intelligence claims, claiming Russia helped Trump win the election, contradicts all other assessments made in the months leading up to the election.” She added, “The actions of Obama and his senior national security team essentially undermined the will of the American people, damaged our democracy, and launched a coup against the president who was elected by the people of the United States over several years.”
However, on the 20th, Mark Warner, the Democratic leader of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told The New York Times that this was yet another example of Gardner attempting to tamper with intelligence records. He also wrote on Twitter, “Hearing that the National Intelligence Director Gardner is accusing her own intelligence agency staff of ‘treason’ while refusing to label Snowden as a traitor is truly shocking. Gardner, who promised to depoliticize the intelligence community, once again uses her authority to amplify Trump’s election conspiracy theories, which is heartbreaking.”