President Trump on Saturday evening shared a seemingly AI-generated video of him dumping brown sludge on protesters while wearing a crown and flying a jet labeled “KING TRUMP.”
The big picture: He shared the video the same day that “No Kings” rallies saw nearly seven million people gather in all 50 states to reject the president’s agenda.
- Organizers said there were more than 2,700 “lawful and peaceful” demonstrations across the U.S. joined by the message that “America will not be ruled by fear, force, or one man’s power grab.”
Driving the news: Trump’s apparent response to the demonstrations was a fake video of himself dumping what appeared to be fecal matter or mud on protesters marching through city streets as Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” plays in the background.
- The watermark on the video attributed it to another account, “@XERIAS_X.” The profile photo of an X account with the same name appears to display Pepe the Frog dressed as Trump.
- Just after, the president reshared a fake video previously posted by Vice President Vance of Trump placing a crowd on his own head and hoisting a sword while people who appeared to be prominent Democratic lawmakers bowed.
- The official White House account also shared a post of Trump and Vance wearing crowns and of Democratic leaders Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wearing sombreros (the president has recently shared several fake photos of his opponents donning sombreros during the shutdown, a dig that Latino rights groups have said amplifies hateful stereotypes).
Context: It doesn’t stop with sombreros and suspect brown substances falling from the sky. Trump and his administration’s official government pages regularly troll with seemingly AI-generated posts online.
- And it’s also not the first time the White House, despite Trump saying he’s “not a king,” has shared an image of the president in royal regalia.
- The White House did not immediately respond to Axios’ request to explain the president’s post.
What they’re saying: “The regime can’t decide if this was a violent insurrection or if it was such a bust that it never happened, but regardless, Trump is clearly pissed,” said Ezra Levin, the co-executive director of Indivisible, in a statement provided to Axios on Trump’s post.
- Saturday’s demonstrations followed another mass protest in June that attracted millions of rally-goers and was organized by a coalition that includes several prominent progressive groups, like Indivisible, and labor unions.
Zoom out: Leading Republicans have dismissed or condemned the nationwide gathering, attempting to paint the demonstrations as “a hate America rally” and claiming links to “antifa.”
- MoveOn Executive Director Katie Bethell, however, said in a statement that the “millions of people protesting are centered around a fierce love for our country. A country that we believe is worth fighting for.”
- In a Sunday appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) defended using that rhetoric, saying, “it’s not about the people. It’s about the message. It’s about the ideology.”
- Johnson said, “If President Trump was a king, they would not have been able to engage in that free speech.”
Catch up quick: As thousands marched through the streets of the nation’s capital, the president was in Florida. Democratic and progressive lawmakers and activists joined the rallies across the country.
- GOP opponents have tried to frame the protests as a reason why Democrats have not buckled amid the ongoing government shutdown, but the day of resistance was announced weeks before the shutdown began.
Go deeper: “I’m not a king,” Trump says ahead of nationwide No Kings protests
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