GOP Congressman Shares AI-Generated Deepfake Video of Tim Walz
Rep. Riley Moore shared an AI-generated deepfake video falsely depicting Minnesota Governor Tim Walz dancing on an escalator wearing an anti-Trump shirt. The post was flagged as fake by a community note on X, and Moore faced public mockery after reportedly appearing to fall for the synthetic media.
What happened
Rep. Riley Moore (R-W.Va.) reposted on social media a deepfake video that falsely depicted Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) dancing off a mall escalator wearing a T-shirt with the message 'Fuck Trump' to the Pussycat Dolls' song 'Don't Cha.'
Moore wrote on X: 'If you were at the mall with your kids and this guy rolled down the escalator, you would call the cops and get him banned.' The person who originally shared the video online claimed to have 'swapped the face.'
Reported impact
The post was swiftly hit with a community note clarifying it was fake.
Social media users mercilessly mocked Moore for appearing to fall for the deepfake, calling him 'dumber than dogshit,' an 'idiot,' and saying 'This is embarrassing, dude.'
Index analysis
Moore may have known the video was phony when he shared it. It could have been some kind of taunting commentary on Walz, who was Democratic candidate Kamala Harris' running mate in the 2024 presidential election and has been a fierce critic of the current White House.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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