From memory to manipulation, Donald Trump opens a new red line for AI

The White House released the image of an African-American protester arrested by ICE in Minneapolis, trafficked by AI.Until now, Donald Trump's camp used this technology to push the line for humorous or provocative purposes.This time it is an alteration of reality, more dangerous for the purposes of manipulating opinion.

This is the next chapter in the love story between Donald Trump and artificial intelligence.On Thursday, January 22, the White House posted an AI-altered image of an African-American activist detained by ICE and the controversial Immigration and Customs Enforcement on its X account.

"ARRESTED. For causing violence in a church in Minnesota: left-wing rioter Nekima Levy Armstrong," says a message from the White House published in X on January 22. The photo accompanying the text shows an ICE agent, with a clear face, who has just caught a woman - presented as Nekima Levy crying Armstrong - who seems to be crying.

"Competition" among many others?

As shocking as the fake photo: half an hour after this first message from the White House, National Security Minister Kristi Noemi's X account posted the same photo, but with two significant differences: Nekima Levy Armstrong was not crying and her skin tone was less dark.

The White House later admitted to altering the original photo.

Donald Trump is actually a big consumer of this type of content.Marco Morini, a US political communications expert at La Sapienza University in Rome, admits that "he himself has regularly used or shared AI-generated images since the beginning of his mandate and even during his 2024 presidential campaign."

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“He is even a pioneer in the use of artificial intelligence for his political communication. Leaders who do the same are very rare,” emphasizes Claes de Vreese, a specialist in the use of artificial intelligence in political communication at the University of Amsterdam.

Since his return to power, Donald Trump has posted images generated by artificial intelligence on his social network Truth Social 36 times, according to the calculation of the specialized media site Pointer in October 2025. One need not go further than the official White House account on X: 14 messages used 100% AI content.

This could include fake images designed to glorify Donald Trump, such as AI-generated renderings of the president pretending to be the king or the Pope.Other creations of these algorithms aim to mock the political opposition in the House of Representatives, such as a series of photos and videos showing Democratic leaders decorated with sombreros.

So many "memes" that leave little doubt as to their origin.So no one will believe that the image of Donald Trump planting the Star-Spangled Banner on Greenland soil, in the company of his Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Vice President J.D. Vance, depicts reality.

"It is clear that these lies aim to establish a relationship between the president and the part of his electoral party that values ​​this meme culture," emphasizes Marco Morini.

AI serves alternative realities

In no violation of the White House's official version, AI Nekima Levi Armstrong's edit is not included in this "meme" category.It takes White House communications to a new and more dangerous dimension, assure experts interviewed by France 24.

"We are moving from obvious exaggeration to a search for realism," emphasizes Claes de Vreese.This is the first time that "an official account from an institution like the White House has tried to convey the fake as real with the help of artificial intelligence," says Scott Lucas, a specialist in the United States at University College Dublin.

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The goal of the surgery is also very different."It's clearly about humiliating people," Scott Lucas said.In the original painting, the civil rights activist has a dignified demeanor and serious face despite his arrest.The use of AI has made it possible to paint a person "as weak and tearfully submissive to the authority of ICE agents," continued the specialist from the United States.

By blackening their skin, the authors of this manipulation "seek to obtain a simplistic image of the situation," suggests Marco Morini.Authority is represented by the white-skinned ICE agent, while the troublemaker "comes from a well-recognized community," this expert adds.It is a vision without nuances, very “black and white”.

For Scott Lucas, it's no surprise that the Trump administration has devoted itself to experimenting with using AI to change reality for ICE operations in Minnesota."The reality of the arrest photos is not very pleasant for these representatives and the Trump administration," the expert insists.On Tuesday, footage of the five-year-old child's arrest sparked widespread interest.

Who should I believe?

Perhaps the US presidency is afraid of losing the image war and that the "memes" produced by AI will no longer be enough.

So we need to move to the next level.But by putting his finger in the gears of an alternative reality created by AI, Donald Trump opens a door which could be “dangerous for democracy”, fears Claes de Vreese.

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"Technology has become good enough to deceive the vigilance of those who see these images," said this expert.If these manipulations multiply, there is a risk of "cognitive or systematic mistrust of published data and images," warns Claes de Vries.And if mistrust of given information becomes the norm, "individuals no longer know what to relate to," notes Marco Morini.

This is a good thing for Donald Trump. In such an ecosystem, "he at least has the advantage of having the public power to impose his version of the truth", believes Scott Lucas. A version of the truth, with the wave of an artificial intelligence wand, made an African-American woman cry to demean her.

However, it should be avoided that one of his ministries does not publish the same picture without retouching...