The White House posted a doctored image of an arrested protester, adding tears without disclosure, raising concerns over AI use in official communications.
WASHINGTON: The White House’s official X account posted a doctored photograph of a protester arrested in Minnesota on Thursday.
The altered image showed activist Nekima Levy Armstrong’s face contorted with tears, without any disclosure that the photorealistic picture had been edited.
Armstrong was among three people arrested for allegedly disturbing a church service while protesting an immigration crackdown.
The incident illustrates how President Donald Trump’s administration is increasingly using deepfakes or AI imagery for political arguments.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem first posted an image on X showing Armstrong’s arrest, her face calm and expressionless.
Approximately 30 minutes later, the White House posted the same image but altered to show Armstrong sobbing with tears streaming down her face.
A caption superimposed on the image read “ARRESTED,” labelling Armstrong a “far-left agitator.”
The post offered no disclaimer that the image had been edited, and it was unclear if an AI tool or other software was used.
When contacted for comment, the White House redirected AFP to a post by White House Deputy Communications Director Kaelan Dorr.
Dorr tacitly acknowledged the modification, writing, “Enforcement of the law will continue. The memes will continue.”
Several users questioned why the image was altered to make Armstrong appear to be crying.
“We should be disturbed by any party using AI to manipulate photographs and presenting them as fact,” one user wrote.
Walter Scheirer of the University of Notre Dame said such edited images are now “commonplace in partisan politics.”
“They are frequently used to humiliate opposition figures or make exaggerated political statements,” Scheirer told AFP.
He noted a “notable lack of decorum when it comes through official government communication channels.”
During the first year of his second term, Trump has ramped up his use of hyper-realistic but fabricated visuals on Truth Social and other platforms.
Trump or the White House have similarly shared AI-made images depicting the president dressed as the pope and roaring alongside a lion.
Similar AI-driven messaging has also been adopted by other arms of the Trump administration and some of the president’s political rivals.
