When footballer Cristiano Ronaldo posted a picture of himself with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Instagram, I didn’t think anything of it. However, when I opened Instagram again and scrolled upon an AI-generated video posted by Trump of him and Ronaldo playing soccer, I was caught off guard, not sure if I should laugh or be concerned.
Unlike the deepfake memes of Jake Paul dressed in a skirt and top, this video showed two of the most influential public figures interacting. For many people, seeing Ronaldo photographed alongside Trump raised questions about why these political leaders utilize public figures to promote their reputation.
By placing himself next to Ronaldo, even through AI-generated content, Trump connected his reputation to one of the most popular athletes on the planet. By appearing next to a celebrity, a politician can make themselves seem more relatable and more admired.
What made this more intriguing was how the Democrats responded. Instead of ignoring the video, the official Democrat social media page created their own edit using Lionel Messi. Their message was essentially, “if Trump gets Ronaldo, then we get Messi.” The edit was intended to be funny, but it showed how both sides treat celebrities as part of their political campaigning.
These posts reveal the problem of how politics today is less about policies and more about online attention. A picture with a famous athlete can get more engagement than a speech or a serious announcement. With video-generation technology, politicians can now create realistic videos of moments that never occurred.
Ultimately, the question we should be asking is: Should politicians rely on celebrity collaborations to win the support of the public? Should athletes and other public figures be pulled into political battles? Voters must be able to tell the difference between when a politician is being sincere and when content is created just to gain attention online.
