US military forced to step in after Trump shares AI-generated video of fake attack
While some might find it hilarious when President Donald Trump posts AI videos on his Truth Social, or even when official government accounts share their own AI snippets, the latest incident shows exactly why many argue serious channels should be kept for serious posts.
After previously sharing everything from an AI version of himself dumping feces on his critics to Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought as the 'Grim Reaper', Donald Trump has also mocked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in stereotypical Mexican clothing, as well as posting (then deleting) a video appearing to show Michelle and Barack Obama as apes.
The POTUS has recently upped his AI content, including a clearly AI video of Canadian geese marching with guns and Trump's signature haircut, being renamed as 'Donald Ducks'.
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We know Trump is a big fan of artificial intelligence, having announced a $500 billion deal and being a champion of data centers while clapping back at New York issuing a ban.
He's once again in the news for his sometimes sensationalist posts on Truth Social, with the US military having to intervene after the Commander-in-Chief shared an AI video of his own forces bombing Iran's Kharg Island.
Filmed from a US helicopter, the video appears to show oil storage tanks and refineries exploding in dramatic fashion, with a caption reading: "Kharg Island being blown to smithereens. President DJT.”
Although many clocked that this wasn't a real-life situation, others thought the USA had actually launched another attack against the country.
Given how dramatic the start of 2026 has been in terms of the war in Iran and Trump threatening that a 'whole civilization will die tonight', it's easy to see why some might not have questioned the video's authenticity.
It's unclear whether Trump himself knew the video was AI in origin before it was shared, although it should be noted that up to 90% of oil exports were handled via Kharg Island before the start of the war.
Trump's post comes after the US military struck actual targets on Kharg Island in April 2026. In July this year, Trump held a meeting at the Situation Room to discuss a possible invasion of Kharg Island.
The Department of Defense has had to step in to clarify the video's origin, with Vice President JD Vance telling PBS News about how Trump "likes to switch it up on social media a little bit." Vance went on to clarify that the POTUS "would be the first to say he doesn't make announcements about military actions on social media, but I think that he's sending a message to the Iranians."
The timing of Trump's AI video couldn't be worse, with Iranian media outlets reporting explosions near Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. According to Truthout, American officials claimed Tehran was planning to launch mine-laying rockets in an attempt to throttle the key waterway and again cut off the American economy. It's said that Iranian forces fired missiles at Jordan, but they were supposedly intercepted.
The outlet says that an attack on Kharg Island could be considered a war crime because the refineries and other infrastructure on the island are civilian-based. As Kharg Island is home to 8,000 permanent Iranian residents, the loss of noncombatant innocent lives could also violate international law.