Trump falsely claims Taylor Swift's support in AI generated image
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Taylor Swift performs on stage at the Paris La Defense Arena on May 9. Photo: Julien De Rosa/AFP via Getty Images
Taylor Swift got another firsthand look at the dangers of artificial intelligence after former President Trump on Sunday reposted images falsely claiming the singer's support in the 2024 presidential race.
Why it matters: Experts have warned AI could be used to mislead voters, scam donors and even libel candidates. Now, Trump has provided an example of how AI can fan the flames of political misinformation, riling the fiercely protective ranks of Swiftiedom in the process.
Driving the news: Trump reposted a series of images — at least some of which appeared AI-generated — to Truth Social on Sunday purportedly showing Swift and her fans supporting Trump.
- In several images, fans were shown wearing "Swifties for Trump" T-shirts. One of the pictures was taken from a post from the conservative media outlet Amuse, which had explicitly labeled the original post as "satire."
- Another shows Swift herself dressed as Uncle Sam and was labeled "Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump."
- "I accept!" Trump wrote in the post.
Reality check: Swift hasn't made any endorsement in the 2024 presidential race as yet, but she has previously made clear that she is no fan of Trump's.
- In a May 2020 post on X, Swift accused Trump of "stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism" during his presidency.
- Swift's publicist did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment regarding Trump's endorsement claim.
State of play: While Swift hasn't addressed the controversy, her fans were quick to call Trump out and some encouraged the singer to take legal action.
- "Swifties — let's get Taylor's attention on this. It's disgusting. We know Tay does not support Trump or the use of AI to spread misinformation using her likeness. She needs to get her legal team to respond ASAP," one user posted on X.
- Another X user posted that "Taylor Swift should sue Donald Trump into oblivion for using AI-generated pics of her endorsing him."
- While Swift's fans are legion, an unofficial "Swifties for Trump" X account has less than 4,000 followers while an unofficial "Swifties for Kamala" X account has more than 61,000.
- Steven Cheung, Trump's campaign communications director, disputed the notion that Trump had accepted Swift's endorsement or that he had claimed she had done so.
Zoom out: This is the second time this year Swift has found herself entangled in a high-profile case involving AI.
- Earlier this year, explicit AI-generated deepfakes of Swift went viral online, underscoring broader concerns the technology poses when it comes to making realistic-looking fake porn.
- X temporarily blocked searches for Swift's name on its platform as the images circulated.
Go deeper: Taylor Swift fake nudes show this harassment could happen to anyone
