The daughter of Martin Luther King Jr has rebuked an AI-generated video that depicts the long-dead civil rights leader endorsing Donald Trump.
The video, which features a synthetic version of King's voice and likeness, was posted on the social network X on Sunday by a pro-MAGA account, which billed it as what King would say "if he could speak today".
"We will vote for Donald Trump as our president, and we will fight beside him to make America great again. We will not allow the American dream to die," intoned the AI voice in a facsimile of King's trademark rising and falling delivery.
But Bernice King, a longtime civil rights activist who was five years old when her father was assassinated in 1968, was not impressed by the attempt at digital resurrection.
"Delete this, @MagaResource," she responded. "It's vile, fake, irresponsible, and not at all reflective of what my father would say. And you gave no thought to our family."
Delete this, @MAGAResource. It’s vile, fake, irresponsible, and not at all reflective of what my father would say. And you gave no thought to our family. https://t.co/v03vZmlwfO
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) November 4, 2024
The deepfake video echoes longstanding themes of the Republican Party's outreach to Black voters, as well Black activists and social media influencers who support Donald Trump.
"If a Black man dares speak out in support of Donald Trump, a Democrat is always there to call that man an Uncle Tom, a house n****, or even worse," it says.
"We've been used by the Democrats... they've convinced us they're our only friends, when their actions speak the truth for all to see.
"They act surprised that we're unsatisfied. Well, we can never be satisfied as we're taken for granted, counted on for votes and then cast aside for those who come to this country illegally."
Trump has repeatedly claimed to have done more for Black Americans than any other president, with the "possible exception" of Abraham Lincoln (who legally freed millions of slaves with his Emancipation Proclamation and was key to amending the US constitution to abolish slavery).
In support, according to the Associated Press, he and his campaign has cited his 2018 bipartisan deal to reduce prison sentences and his creation of low-tax "opportunity zones" in low-income areas – though the latter have been limited in effect.
On the other hand, Trump weakened discrimination protections and reduced federal oversight of police racism during his first time as president, and has supported many policies (such as restricting abortion and narrowing voting rights) that disproportionately affect people of colour.
He has also falsely claimed that Barack Obama was born in Kenya, suggested Black critics should leave the country, repeatedly praised, supported, or shared material created by white supremacists, and led a campaign of demonization against Haitian immigrants.
