The Trump administration has increasingly embraced the use of AI-generated and edited imagery online, sharing cartoonlike visuals and memes through official White House channels.

While earlier posts leaned toward obvious satire, a recent incident involving a realistic, edited image of civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong has triggered renewed concern over the blurring of reality and fabrication.

The image, depicting Levy Armstrong in tears following her arrest, was shared by the official White House account after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem first posted the original arrest photo.

The altered version circulated amid a wave of AI-edited content online following the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by U.S. Border Patrol officers in Minneapolis, intensifying scrutiny over how official government platforms are using synthetic media.

Experts Warn of Eroding Trust and Blurred Reality

Misinformation researchers say the White House’s growing reliance on AI-generated or edited images risks undermining public trust. Despite criticism, administration officials doubled down.

Deputy communications director Kaelan Dorr declared on X that the “memes will continue,” while Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson publicly mocked the backlash.

David Rand, a professor of information science at Cornell University, suggested labeling the altered image a “meme” was likely an attempt to frame it as humor and deflect accountability.

However, he noted that the purpose of the edited arrest image was “much more ambiguous” than earlier cartoonish posts, making its intent harder for audiences to interpret.

Michael A. Spikes, a news media literacy researcher at Northwestern University, warned that altered images shared by credible sources can replace reality with a manufactured narrative.

He stressed that the government has a responsibility to provide accurate, verifiable information, arguing that such content deepens existing institutional crises of trust in media, government, and academia.

AI, Virality, and the Growing Misinformation Ecosystem

Supporters of the strategy argue that AI-enhanced content is a calculated engagement tool. Republican communications consultant Zach Henry said the White House is targeting a digitally fluent audience that instantly recognizes memes, while the controversy itself fuels virality.

He added that realistic visuals can spark conversations across generations, amplifying reach even among those unfamiliar with online meme culture.

Critics, however, see broader consequences. UCLA professor Ramesh Srinivasan warned that AI-generated content accelerates confusion over what constitutes evidence, truth, and reality.

He noted that when government officials share unlabeled synthetic media, it implicitly legitimizes similar behavior by other powerful actors, while social media algorithms tend to reward extreme and conspiratorial content.

Beyond official channels, AI-generated videos depicting Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, protests, and confrontations have flooded social media.

Media literacy creator Jeremy Carrasco attributes much of this content to engagement farming, driven by viral keywords like “ICE.”

He cautioned that most viewers struggle to identify fabricated media, even when obvious AI errors are present, raising serious concerns about public perception during high-stakes events.

Carrasco and other experts say the spread of AI-generated political content is inevitable.

While watermarking technologies developed by the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity could help verify media origins, widespread adoption remains distant. “It’s going to be an issue forever now,” Carrasco warned. “I don’t think people understand how bad this is.”