Rep. Tim Burchett shares AI-generated deepfake of Jack White

What happened

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) reshared an X post from the right-wing account @MAGAresponse on Monday that included an AI-generated video of musician Jack White declaring, 'Don't even think about listening to my music, you fascists.'

Burchett added the comment, 'That cute little girl from the Addams Family got really ugly and angry.'

Reported impact

Jack White responded on Instagram, accusing Burchett of using his 'once hallowed and respected position in our society' to promote a fake video and criticizing him for 'playground' insults about his appearance.

White stated that the congressman and other Trump supporters are 'cowards' who would not speak that way in person, and said it is 'really sad how embarrassing our leadership has become.'

Index analysis

The deepfake video was created to misrepresent White as attacking Trump supporters, contradicting his documented criticism of Trump.

The incident involved the resharing of synthetic media by an elected official on a social media platform with significant reach.

Classification

Organizations

Rep. Tim Burchett (subject), Jack White (victim), @MAGAresponse (subject)

Category

Misinformation and synthetic media

Industry

Media, social platforms and marketing

Country

United States

Harm status

Actual harm

Intent

Intentional

Timing

Unknown

Harm types

Reputational, Public interest

Harmed

General public

Failure modes

Deepfake video, Manipulation or dark pattern

Sources and evidence