An advertisement appearing to feature President Donald Trump's voice, promoting an "all new Fannie Mae" as the "protector of the American Dream," actually utilized an AI-cloned voice, as stated in a disclaimer within the video. This ad was created with permission from the Trump administration. This initiative aligns with the administration's broader efforts to address voter concerns regarding housing affordability, a topic Trump was expected to discuss at his appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where world leaders and corporate executives meet.

The use of AI to replicate voices is not unprecedented within the Trump family; First Lady Melania Trump previously employed AI technology firm ElevenLabs to help voice the audio version of her memoir. However, ElevenLabs confirmed in an email to The Associated Press that they did not generate the audio for President Trump's voice in the Fannie Mae ad. The identity of the creator of the cloned voice for the Fannie Mae ad remains unknown, and the White House did not respond to a request for comment regarding the matter.

Prior to this ad, Trump had pledged in a prime-time address that he would roll out "some of the most aggressive housing reform plans in American history." The digitized voice in the one-minute ad, which aired on a Sunday, emphasizes a sentiment that home ownership, once a symbol of security, independence, and stability, now feels unattainable for too many Americans. The ad attributes this challenge to a system that has stopped working for them, rather than a lack of effort from individuals.

Fannie Mae and its counterpart, Freddie Mac, have been under government control since the Great Recession. These institutions play a crucial role in the U.S. housing market by purchasing mortgages that meet their risk criteria from banks, thereby providing essential liquidity. Together, these two firms guarantee approximately half of the $13 trillion U.S. home loan market and are considered a bedrock of the U.S. economy. The ad further suggests that Fannie Mae will collaborate with the banking industry to approve more would-be homebuyers for mortgages.

Various proposals concerning Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been floated by Trump and Bill Pulte, who leads the Federal Housing Finance Agency. These included plans to sell shares of both entities on a major stock exchange, though no concrete plans have been set. They also proposed extending the standard 30-year mortgage to 50 years with the aim of lowering monthly payments. However, Trump appeared to back off this particular proposal after critics argued that such longer-term loans could reduce individuals' ability to create housing equity and increase their own wealth.

Earlier, Trump also announced on social media his directive for the federal government to purchase $200 billion in mortgage bonds. He stated that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac possessed $200 billion in cash that would be used to make this purchase, a move intended to help reduce mortgage rates at a time when Americans are anxious about home prices. Additionally, Trump expressed a desire to prevent large institutional investors from buying houses, believing that such a ban would make it easier for younger families to acquire their first homes.

The Trump administration's authorization of an AI-cloned voice for promotional material presents an interesting contrast with Trump's previous complaints regarding the Biden administration's alleged use of an autopen to apply the former president's signature to laws, pardons, or executive orders. An autopen is a mechanical device designed to replicate a person’s authentic signature. However, a report issued by House Republicans did not include any concrete evidence that President Biden’s signature was used without his knowledge via an autopen.