Bernice King Calls Out “Vile” Deepfake Of MLK Endorsing Trump

A deepfake video portraying Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. endorsing former president Donald Trump has drawn widespread criticism, particularly from King’s daughter, Bernice King. 

Posted on Sunday night by the pro-Trump X account “MAGA Resource,” the AI-generated video falsely shows King urging Black Americans to support Trump, claiming he did “more for the Black community than any other president.” 

By late Monday, the controversial clip had gained over 10 million views, sparking outrage.

Bernice King Denounces Deepfake as “Vile”

Bernice King took to X on Monday, condemning the video as “vile, fake, irresponsible, and not at all reflective of what my father would say.”

She also criticized the creators for disregarding her family’s legacy, demanding that the video be taken down. 

X’s community fact-checkers swiftly labeled the post as a “deepfake,” clarifying its artificial origins to viewers.

The Role of AI in Political Disinformation

The video’s timing—weeks before Election Day—underscores the evolving use of AI in political warfare. 

This is not the first instance of AI-generated content influencing voters; earlier this year, deepfake audio of President Joe Biden surfaced in New Hampshire, urging non-participation in the state’s primary. 

Elon Musk, owner of social media platform X, also faced widespread criticism after sharing a deceptively edited video of Vice President Kamala Harris. 

Experts warn that while some deepfakes, like the King video, are identifiable as false, they still pose a significant threat by exploiting emotional and partisan divides.

“We’re in the ‘throw spaghetti at the wall’ moment of AI and politics. People are experimenting to see what sticks,” said Rachel Tobac, CEO of SocialProof Security, according to The Washington Post.

She stressed that while many can identify this video as fake, its potential to manipulate perceptions remains significant.