Trump Claims White House Video is Fake Amid AI Concerns

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that a video circulating online, which allegedly showed items being tossed from a White House window, is fake. The video appeared to show a black bag and a white item being thrown from a window of the East Wing of the White House on Monday.

Trump, who has a background in design, told reporters that the windows cannot be opened, asserting, “They’re bulletproof and sealed.” He reacted to the video after watching it on the phone of Fox News reporter Peter Doocy and claimed that it is a product of artificial intelligence.

Earlier, the White House had seemingly confirmed that the video was genuine, stating that a contractor was performing maintenance while Trump was away. However, the administration did not respond to further inquiries regarding the conflicting messages on Tuesday.

Trump argued again that the windows are hard to open, recounting a conversation with First Lady Melania Trump, who he claimed wanted to open a window for fresh air. “You have to be pretty strong to open them,” he said, indicating that each window weighs about 600 pounds.

As he defended his stance on the video, Trump blamed AI technology for creating misleading content, saying, “If something happens really bad, just blame AI.” Hany Farid, a digital forensics expert from the University of California, Berkeley, analyzed the video and noted a lack of digital markers that signal AI manipulation, stating that the scene appears consistent with the physical reality of the White House.

Farid added, “The shadows in the scene and the motion of the waving flags do not show typical signs of AI involvement.” Former First Lady Michelle Obama had previously mentioned the inability to open windows in the White House during a 2015 interview on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

“The windows in our house don’t open,” she said, referencing her longing for the fresh air and excitement of car rides with open windows.