Bold claim: AI-generated satire now sits at the center of political theater, and this week it’s California Governor Gavin Newsom who’s turning up the volume. Newsom released an AI-crafted video that targets former President Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, depicting them in handcuffs and facing a courthouse crowd. The scene opens with the trio seated on a step, hands cuffed behind their backs, while the words “It’s cuffing season” flash across the screen. The footage then shifts to a car’s backseat as their cuffed hands rise toward their faces and they begin to cry. The clip ends with a courthouse doorway where police, reporters, and onlookers are poised to snap photos, all while SZA’s “Big Boys” plays in the background.
Newsom released the video on X in response to a White House post that similarly uses SZA’s track. The White House video, which features a montage of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests, carries the caption: “WE HEARD IT’S CUFFING SZN. Bad news for criminal illegal aliens. Great news for America.” SZA condemned the White House’s use of her music, calling it “rage baiting artists for free promo” and criticizing it as inhumane and theatrical manipulation. Sabrina Carpenter has also criticized the White House’s use of her song for a comparable ICE-focused video, calling it “evil and disgusting.”
This is part of Newsom’s ongoing pattern of using AI-generated content to critique Trump on social media. Recently, Newsom circulated an AI image showing himself receiving the “inaugural Kohl’s Peace Prize” after Trump reportedly won FIFA’s Peace Prize. Trump had aspired for the Nobel Peace Prize, but that honor went to María Corina Machado from Venezuela this year. Earlier in the year, Newsom’s team shared an AI-created image of Marie Antoinette with Trump’s face, tied to political moments like a looming government shutdown and debates over health-care tax credits, as well as proposals to renovate the East Wing into a ballroom.
The governor even framed a satirical take on healthcare and governance with the caption: “TRUMP ‘MARIE ANTOINETTE’ SAYS, ‘NO HEALTH CARE FOR YOU PEASANTS, BUT A BALLROOM FOR THE QUEEN!’”
Most recently, Newsom suggested he’s become more receptive to the notion of a third presidential term for Trump, despite constitutional limits. In a conversation on The Jack Cocchiarella Show, Newsom remarked that Trump’s potential next term would be judged by a shorter time frame and a different kind of leadership, noting—perhaps with a rueful tone—that “the regime’s impact will be measured not in decades, but in years.” The remark reflects Newsom’s broader positioning as a possible Democratic contender in the 2028 race, while he continues to provoke and challenge Trump through provocative, AI-enhanced content.
What this means for political messaging is increasingly multifaceted: satire, digital manipulation, and celebrity music collaborations are blending to shape public perception in real time. Are these tactics constructive political commentary, or do they risk trivializing serious issues? Share your thoughts on whether AI-driven satire should play a larger or smaller role in national discourse.
