Late on Tuesday, President Trump shared a new AI-generated video featuring minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).
In this video, posted on Truth Social, Trump depicted Jeffries, a Black man, wearing a sombrero and sporting an exaggerated handlebar mustache while Mariachi music played. This release came just before a potential government shutdown.
Jeffries had previously condemned the first video, labeling it as racist and challenging Trump to address him directly.
Monday’s meeting at the White House, which centered on the looming shutdown, marked the first time Trump and Jeffries were together for a business discussion.
New content from Trump and his team appears to dismiss the charges of bias. Jeffries criticized the earlier video, referring to it as “disgusting.” Just as he was speaking, a variation of Trump appeared in the background, accompanied by Mariachi music, with figures wearing sombreros. Shortly after, Jeffries was also shown with a fake mustache and sombrero.
“We are working to defend American health care against unprecedented Republican assaults,” Jeffries emphasized as the music played.
The use of Mexican cultural elements in these deepfakes seems aimed at underscoring Trump’s and the GOP’s claims that Democrats want to prioritize federal resources for undocumented immigrants amid the shutdown.
On Tuesday, Trump claimed Democrats were trying to extend health care to illegal immigrants, while their actual focus is on extending benefits from the Enhanced Affordable Care Act to U.S. citizens, which is set to expire soon.
Following a meeting with Jeffries and other Congressional leaders on Monday, Trump described Jeffries as “a very nice gentleman I really didn’t know.”
The federal government officially closed early Wednesday morning, marking the first shutdown in six years, as both parties failed to agree on spending bills. Russell Vought, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), issued a memo initiating the “orderly shutdown” process.
