President Trump has posted what appeared to be an A.I.-generated video on social media that showed him wearing a crown and flying a jet labeled “King Trump” that dumps brown liquid on protesters.
The short video, shared on Mr. Trump’s Truth Social account late Saturday, was posted on the same day that protesters participated in a daylong mass demonstration, known as “No Kings,” against the Trump administration. The protests were held in cities and towns in all 50 states, with participants holding signs such as “I Pledge Allegiance to No King” and chanting slogans against the president, accusing him of acting in authoritarian ways.
The fake video, set to the song “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins, shows the plane dropping brown liquid onto the heads of protesters, who appeared to be gathered in a city.
The White House on Saturday also posted on social media an A.I.-generated image of Mr. Trump and Vice President JD Vance wearing crowns. “Have a good night, everyone,” the post said, with the crown emoji.
Mr. Trump regularly reposts A.I.-generated or mocked-up imagery on his Truth Social account. Last month, he posted a meme of Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York and the House minority leader, which shows Mr. Jeffries wearing a fake mustache and a sombrero, with mariachi music playing in the background. Mr. Jeffries, who is Black, said the video was racist and bigoted.
The No Kings protests followed another mass demonstration in June, when an estimated five million people participated in some 2,000 protests nationwide. The event on Saturday was organized by national and local groups and well-known progressive coalitions, including Indivisible, 50501 and MoveOn. Republican leaders denounced the protests, blaming them for prolonging the government shutdown and calling the event the “hate America rally.”
When asked whether the president had a comment on the demonstrations, Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, gave a brief response in an email. “Who cares?” she said.
In an interview with Fox News, set to air on Sunday, Mr. Trump said of the protesters: “They’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king.”
Jenny Gross is a reporter for The Times covering breaking news and other topics.
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