Trump shares AI video showing Obama arrest amid renewed attacks on Obama-era officials
US President Donald Trump speaks at a dinner with Republican Senators, in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., US, July 18, 2025. Photo: Reuters
President Donald Trump on Sunday shared an AI-generated video falsely portraying former President Barack Obama being arrested and imprisoned, as part of a broader push to revive claims of misconduct by the Obama administration.
The video, originally created by a pro-MAGA TikTok user, was posted to Trump’s Truth Social account. It features manipulated footage of Obama being taken into custody by the FBI during a 2016 meeting with Trump in the Oval Office, followed by scenes showing him in a prison jumpsuit. The footage is set to the Village People’s “YMCA,” a song frequently used at Trump rallies.
The video post came amid a broader campaign by Trump and his allies to reignite allegations against Obama-era officials. Over the weekend, Trump posted repeatedly about claims made by his Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard. On Friday, Gabbard announced she had referred several Obama-era officials to the Justice Department for prosecution, alleging they manipulated intelligence about Russian interference in the 2016 election.
She claimed newly declassified documents showed that the Obama administration “politicized intelligence” to lay the groundwork for what she described as a “years-long coup” against Trump.
Many Democrats have strongly rejected those allegations. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, called the accusations unfounded and said it was “an effort to cook the books.”
Some critics, including within Trump’s base, have questioned the timing of the announcement, suggesting it was an attempt to divert attention from renewed scrutiny over the Trump administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Despite that, Trump doubled down on his attacks, also posting edited images of former Obama officials in orange jumpsuits and suggesting Democratic Senator Adam Schiff should be imprisoned.
Trump, who was convicted in May 2024 on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, is currently appealing the verdict. Nevertheless, he continues to use his platform to push narratives against his political opponents—now increasingly with AI-generated media.