- Donald Trump on Wednesday posted a video of Ron DeSantis featuring voice-cloning AI.
- The tongue-in-cheek parody shows DeSantis and Elon Musk speaking to the devil and Adolf Hitler.
The Trump-DeSantis 2024 showdown officially kicked off on Wednesday evening, and artificial intelligence is smack dab in the middle of the political fray.
About a dozen posts into his Truth Social tirade knocking Gov. Ron DeSantis' 2024 campaign launch, former President Donald Trump reposted a video featuring a conversation that clearly deploys voice-cloning AI.
It's not the first time Trump has $4. But the two-minute clip, uploaded on a private Rumble account, is the latest sign — and perhaps the most prominent yet — of AI creeping into the political sphere as a tool to steer narratives or attack opponents.
The $4 of DeSantis' $4 on Twitter Spaces.
Both the Florida governor and Elon Musk feature, alongside a sample of Trump's laundry list of people he dislikes — billionaire George Soros, World Economic Forum chair Klaus Schwab, and former Vice President Dick Cheney. The parody is evident from the get-go, with the inclusion of characters like Adolf Hitler, the devil, and the FBI.
"Hi everyone, welcome to our Ron DeSantis Twitter Spaces," Musk's voice says in the clip.
"Hello? Is my microphone working correctly?" Soros' voice interrupts.
What follows next is a chaotic blend of old audio, new voice lines spoken by an unknown person, and AI-generated dialogue that sounds eerily like the people being imitated.
—Andrew Torba (@BasedTorba) $4
"Everyone just shut the hell up so I can make my announcement, okay?" DeSantis' voice says.
"Would you please shut up already? I'm running for fucking president, okay?" his voice later adds.
"Yeah, we kind of already knew," everyone responds.
Musk's AI-cloned voice even mimics his speech patterns.
"Uh, uh, guys from the FBI, this is not a private call, this is a public Twitter Space, everyone can listen in," the voice says at one point.
At the end of the clip, Trump's voice interjects.
"Hold your horses, Elon! The real president is going to say a few words. The devil, I'm going to kick your ass very soon. Hitler, you're already dead. Dick Cheney, sounds like you'll be joining Hitler very soon," the voice said.
"Klaus Schwab and George Soros, I'm putting both your asses in jail. And Ron DeSanctimonious can kiss my big beautiful 2024 presidential ass. Trump 2024 baby, let's go," Trump's voice continues.
The clip is reminiscent of AI-generated $4 memes, which deploy the voices of Trump, President Joe Biden, and former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton $4
@voretecks presidential overwatch debate (the sequel) #overwatch #overwatch2 #ow #ow2 #fyp #overwatch2edit #overwatchclips #trump #biden ♬ GigaChad Theme - Phonk House Version - g3ox_em
Joe Rogan and Musk sometimes feature in such memes as well.
But Trump's newly reposted Twitter Spaces parody comes as politicians around the world slowly start using AI to serve their ends. The Republican National Committee released an ad attacking Biden in April using AI-generated images.
New Zealand's center-right National Party has also been posting AI-generated images on Instagram, from $4 to a bizarre version of a Fast and Furious poster.
View this post on Instagram>$4