Trump Is Desecrating a New Kind of National Monument

If you've been to an AMC theater in recent years, you've seen Nicole Kidman give a monologue about the power of film. It's been parodied by SNL and The Boys . Now the White House has taken a crack at its own parody with an AI slop version that feels like a new kind of desecration for President Donald Trump; a desecration of what film lovers consider a sacred video at this point.

The White House posted the video to YouTube, TikTok, X, and Instagram. "We come to this place for MAGA. To fight, fight, fight, and win, win, win. Because we need that, all of us," the video's narration says. "The indescribable feeling we get when we hear the national anthem and stand together stronger than ever before."

The voiceover for the AI slop video continues: "Under this administration, we're going somewhere we've never been. We aren't just watching history, we're making it. Rebuilding our country better than ever. A country where we don't do heartbreak, we do victory."

"An America that is safer, more secure, more prosperous, and any setbacks that stand in our way simply makes the comeback that much sweeter. Welcome to the Golden Age."

Those words, "fight, fight fight," are certainly ominous while paired with a MAGA hat at the White House. President Trump attempted a self-coup on January 6, 2021, after losing the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden, directing his followers to storm the U.S. Capitol, where they tried to stop the certification of the election by Congress.

Trump's attempt at staying in office failed, and he never faced justice. But he constantly talks about remaining in the White House after his term ends in January 2029. And it's easy to imagine a world where Trump declares that he needs to remain in office for the good of the country.

There are obviously many issues with the video, including the ridiculous idea that you could wear a backwards hat underneath a hooded sweatshirt like that without it protruding in the most awkward way imaginable. There's also just the fact that you've got some MAGA dipshit roaming the White House and all he finds is a large screen playing some images of Trump.

If you're wondering why the video didn't just direct the AI avatar to the White House Movie Theater, that might be related to the fact that Trump tore it down. The space was an old coat closet until it was converted in 1942 into a movie theater by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was located in the East Wing, which Trump tore down last year without consulting Congress.

The White House has turned off comments on YouTube, but the commentary about the video varied across other platforms. One popular comment on Instagram read, " It’s giving Scientology commercials," while another read, "When is it going to start being golden? When does it get cheaper for us? All talk no action."

Trump's defenders were in the minority on Instagram, but there were some people who tried to boost the president's spirits, with one writing, " Bringing back patriotism from the woke terms of 44 and 46!! MAGA ."

TikTok comments seemed to be the most positive, though anti-Trump folks on the site seem to be most obsessed with the Epstein files, with one person writing, " Are you going to do a trailer for the release of the Epstein files?" Another wrote, "Fyp think im an uneducated fool," apparently a reference to that user being served the video by the algorithm.

Which brings us to another uncomfortable reality. TikTok was purchased by allies of President Trump, and he constantly brags about how popular he is on the platform. Other social media sites are run by pro-Trump oligarchs as well, including Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook and Instagram or Elon Musk's X.

The midterm elections are just three months away on Nov. 3, and Trump has been doing everything he can to stack the deck in favor of the Republicans. But Americans should probably be most worried about what's going to happen from Nov. 4 onward. The gloves will be off, and Trump will have no political considerations to restrain him anymore. Jan 6th was likely only a preview of the horrors to come. And every AI slop video feels like a hint of the world that we're about to enter. If history is any guide, it's not going to be pretty.

Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: Gizmodo. Open at source →