Trump posts fake video of Obama getting arrested
President Trump posted a fake video to Truth Social on Sunday night showing former President Obama being arrested in the Oval Office with the song “Y.M.C.A.” playing in the background.
The video of Obama, which seemed to originate from TikTok before being reposted by the president, appears to be generated by artificial intelligence (AI). It was preceded by a 30-second compilation of real clips from Democratic officials saying the phrase, “No one is above the law.”
In the video, Trump is seen sitting across from his first-term predecessor, grinning as Obama is led away by FBI agents.
The Village People song “Y.M.C.A.” is often played at Trump's campaign rallies.
Obama’s office declined to comment.
The video follows allegations from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard that Obama officials “manufactured intelligence” that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election. Gabbard said last week in a memo that she was turning over evidence to the Justice Department for possible criminal referrals.
Democrats have panned Gabbard’s assessment as politically motivated.
Trump’s video repost comes as the president has attempted to redirect focus from controversy around convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a debate that has roiled conspiracy theorists and split his base.
The president often reposts AI-generated or manipulated videos to his Truth Social account. His recent post about Obama appears to draw on a meeting the two men had in the Oval Office in November 2016, The New York Times reported.
During his first campaign, Trump famously led calls to jail Hillary Clinton with the chant “lock her up.” The refrain was thought at the time to be an unusually strident attack on an opponent.
Updated at 1:31 p.m. EDT