- Trump employs deceitful images to encourage Swifty vote endorsements
Donald Trump, a Presidential Hopeful, Spread Falsified Pictures of Singer Taylor Swift to Spur Her Followers to Vote for Him in November. Trump, on his Truth Social platform, disseminated a modified "Uncle Sam" poster displaying Swift's likeness, accompanied by the text "Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump," which he tagged with "I accept!"
According to digital forensics expert Hany Farid from the University of California, the image was either "AI-generated" or " manipulated through conventional methods" as per the statement given to AFP news agency.
Taylor Swift's Picture Manipulation Confirmed
Other photographs also showing women wearing t-shirts with "Swifties for Trump" inscription were manipulated. While real women backing Trump were represented in two images shared by the former president, most of the women portrayed were not actual individuals but AI-created counterparts.
The images initially posted on X were then shared by Trump himself. One of these accounts also published a series of instructions on utilizing generative AI tools on its Substack blog. In a response on X, the same account admitted that the images Trump disseminated were AI-generated. Farid criticized, "Trump's post is notably deceptive because at least one of the fan images is indeed genuine."
Swift Yet to Publicly Back a Candidate
Swift herself has neither endorsed Donald Trump nor the Democratic presidential contender, Kamala Harris. In the past, she has criticized Trump and campaigned for current US president, Joe Biden, before the 2020 presidential election. She also advocates for abortion rights and LGBTQ+ community.
Though Swift has not made a public endorsement, numerous supporters of the Democratic contender have been vocal, with the "Swifties for Kamala" page boasting tens of thousands of subscribers on platforms like X (previously Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram. Similar pages under the name "Swifties for Trump" exist but feature relatively fewer followers.
The newly published photographs are part of a social media crusade initiated by some pro-Trump accounts during the weekend, aimed at portraying a surge in Swift's followers supporting Trump. Nevertheless, there is no concrete proof to back this claim.
In a surprising twist, a pro-Trump account based in Southport shared one of the manipulated images on their social media platforms. Despite living in Southport, the account played a role in disseminating AI-generated images, contributing to the misleading campaign.
Following the Southport-based account, other pro-Trump accounts across the country also started sharing the manipulated images, further amplifying the false narrative.
