Sen. Roger Marshall defended a Trump post that used AI to mock Democratic leaders during shutdown talks. He said the clip looked like a joke. The exchange followed a White House meeting on government funding.
Marshall backs Trump’s AI mockery
Marshall said, “I think it’s said in jest,” during an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on “The Source.” He argued the president was “making fun of a couple people that didn’t bring a serious request to the White House.”
According to The Hill, Trump posted AI-altered words for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The AI version of Schumer was made to say, “Nobody likes Democrats anymore,” and referenced “woke, trans bulls‑‑‑,” then claimed “Not even Black people want to vote for us anymore.”
The AI script added, “Even Latinos hate us,” and tied support for “illegal aliens” to votes. The post also showed Jeffries with a fake mustache and a sombrero.
Funding fight frames the online jabs
Schumer and Jeffries had renewed a pledge to withhold votes for a continuing resolution past the Sept. 30 deadline. They want to reverse cuts to Medicaid in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and extend subsidies expiring under the Affordable Care Act.
White House meeting, then online taunts
The president met with the Democratic leaders on Monday. He brushed off their effort to negotiate, then mocked them online with AI content that altered their words. The target was their demands tied to the stopgap funding plan.
Marshall refused to condemn the content. “Look, I think sometimes the president plays with the press like a little boy and a flashlight and a dog,” he told Collins. “And he’s shining the flashlight here, and he’s shining it there.”
He called the Democratic offer “ridiculous.” He said it added “$1.5 trillion on top of funding that they already agreed to,” and called it “disingenuous.”
The dispute highlights the role of AI in political messaging. It also shows how online content can shape a budget fight. Both parties are locked over health care funding and timing for a short-term bill.
The Hill reported the AI clip drew criticism while allies like Marshall cast it as humor. The shutdown clock still runs while both sides trade public shots and stick to their stances.
