Trump accused of using 'blatant AI' in Charlie Kirk address as 'glitch' spotted

Donald Trump and the White House have been accused of using AI for a video in which the President blames Charlie Kirk’s death on the “radical left”.

Kirk - a long-time ally of Trump - was shot dead while speaking at a rally at Utah Valley University yesterday. Two people were detained in the aftermath but later released, with police still hunting for the shooter.

Trump condemned the killing in a video address from the Oval Office. “This is a dark moment for America," he said, hailing Kirk as a “martyr for truth."

Trump also lashed out at his opponents, blaming “the radical left" for fuelling hostility toward conservatives. “For years, they have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals," he said.

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Since the video was shared, social media has been alight with users accusing the White House of using digitally altered or AI footage. People have shared clipped portions of the footage where the president’s hand appears to shrink and stretch, with one saying "It looks very much like an AI avatar of Trump delivering an official message."

Another user said: "The white house posting a blatant AI video with glitches they forgot to edit out, what a time to be alive." While a third wrote: “His body and hands barely move for the entire video. Also…they missed this weird glitch… what’s going on here."

Others pointed to other obscurities in the video, with one user writing: “This video speech by Donald Trump may possibly be AI generated. Wait for the 18/19 second mark where his hands jump, but even more bizarrely the trees in the window behind him 'jump up' too.”

Another labelled it “deep fake AI” while someone else said: “There’s no f*****g way the White House just made an AI video of Donald trump talking about Charlie Kirk’s death.” The video was posted by the White House on Thursday morning and has been viewed millions of times.

The Mirror has contacted the White House for comment.

Videos posted to social media showed Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone while sitting under a white tent emblazoned with the slogans: “The American Comeback” and “Prove Me Wrong”, before a single shot was fired. Stunned spectators were heard gasping and screaming before people started to run away.

A UK offshoot of a US conservative group set up by Kirk is set to hold a vigil in London after he was shot dead. Turning Point UK has said its activists will gather on Friday evening by the Montgomery Statue in Whitehall and called on others to “join us in remembering Charlie”.

The group’s chief executive Jack Ross told Sky News on Wednesday: “It’s absolutely shocking, we’re heartbroken over here in the UK.”