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You can’t spell “antichrist” without “AI”
Of all the things that would have fractured the religious right’s alliance with Donald Trump, it would be him posting an AI-generated image of himself styled as Jesus Christ, healing the sick and surrounded by heavenly angels — only hours after attacking Pope Leo XIV, no less. (As conservative commentator Rod Dreher, who attended JD Vance’s Catholic baptism, told The Wall Street Journal: “Not saying Trump is the Antichrist. But he’s radiating the spirit of Antichrist, no question.”) This time, it wasn’t the White House memelord army that had generated it. Trump admitted to reporters on Monday, while accepting a DoorDash delivery, that he’d posted the image to Truth Social. “I thought it was me as a doctor,” he said.
But X user S2_Underground discovered a curious thing: The image Trump posted wasn’t exactly new. A version of the AI-generated image had been initially posted by a MAGA influencer named Nick Adams back in February, but by the time it made its way to Trump’s feed, several odd transformations had occurred. The most notable one, which went viral, was that a soldier floating in the clouds had turned into a faceless, spiky-headed winged being that social media users immediately viewed as a demon. But there are several more subtle changes, too: Trump’s flag has more stars than the Adams one, the fighter jets look slightly off, the buildings in the background look blurrier, and everyone’s faces, including Trump’s, look more fearful and less benevolent. Plus, one man’s “VETERAN” hat turned into what my coworker Owen Grove described as “a ‘የቹ፪ጮጎል’ hat.”
The original, posted by @NickAdamsinUSA, via @s2_underground/X. The version posted by @realdonaldtrump/Truth Social.
Image via @realdonaldtrump/Truth Social.
DC’s hottest WHCD collabs are…
Here’s a terrible DC political journalism insider secret I’ve learned over the years: You can roughly gauge the health of a media company by the scale of its White House Correspondents’ Dinner-week event. If it’s scored an Ambassadors’ residence one year but downgrade to a “private reception” the next, that’s one sign. If it’s partnered with another outlet, they’re probably pooling resources. If it’s cohosting it with a tech company — an increasingly popular option — there’s probably a quiet agreement that the tech company is footing the bill.
Here’s some of my favorite media/tech collaborations I’ve heard about this cycle:
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