Trump Claims Viral White House Window Video is AI-Generated, Contradicting Earlier White House Statement

Trump says video showing items thrown from White House is AI after his team indicates it's real

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump said Tuesday that a video circulating online that showed items being tossed out of an upstairs window of the White House was created with artificial intelligence, despite his press team seeming to confirm the veracity of it hours earlier. Trump, who has boasted of being an expert in building design as he takes on remodeling projects at the White Houseand beyond, told reporters that the video has "got to be fake" because the windows, he said, are heavy and sealed shut. The video, which circulated Monday, appears to show a small black bag and a long white item being tossed out of a window on the building's east side. Trump blamed the video on AI, saying the creation of fake videos was one of the downsides of the technology, but then said, "If something happens that's really bad, maybe I'll have to just blame AI." Hours earlier, the White House seemed to verify that the video was real when it told several news outlets that inquired about the video that it was "a contractor who was doing regular maintenance while the President was gone." The White House did not respond to a message later Tuesday about the discrepancy. Trump denied that the windows can be opened and said "I know every window up there." He went on to tell a story in which he said first lady Melania Trump recently complained that she wanted fresh air from an open window in the White House, "But you can't. They're bulletproof. And number one, they're sealed, and number two, each window weighs about 600 pounds. You have to be pretty strong to open them up." After Trump viewed the video on the phone of Fox News Channel reporter Peter Doocy, the president again said the windows are sealed and again blamed AI. "It's the kind of thing they do," he said. "And one of the problems we have with AI, it's both good and bad. If something happens really bad, just blame AI. But also they create things, you know?" Hany Farid, a digital forensics and misinformation expert at the University of California, Berkeley, who reviewed the video, said he does not detect any digital watermarks that are sometimes inserted into images at the point of AI-generation. "The shadows in the scene, including the shadow cast by the tossed bag, are all physically consistent. The motion of the waving flags have none of the tell-tale signs that you often see in AI-generated videos. The overall structure of the White House appears to be consistent, including the flying of the American and POW/MIA flag," Farid said in a statement. Former first lady Michelle Obama, in a 2015 appearance on the "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," seemed to complain about not being able to open windows in the White House, telling the host that she was looking forward to life after the White House, saying she wanted to take car rides with open windows and said, "The windows in our house don't open." ___ Associated Press writer Melissa Goldin in New York contributed to this report.

Trump Blames AI for Viral White House Trash Bag Video That Was Confirmed as Real

President Trump on Tuesday revealed a new strategy he could employ for dealing with unwelcome or unflattering information: blame artificial intelligence. With fake videos generated by A.I. swirling around the internet, it's become increasingly difficult for many users of social media to separate truth from fiction -- a point Mr. Trump both lamented and said he could potentially use to his advantage. "One of the problems we have with A.I., it's both good and bad," he said. "If something happens, really bad, just blame A.I. But also they create things. You know, it works both ways. If something happens, it's really bad, maybe I'll have to just blame A.I." The subject arose after Mr. Trump contradicted his own press office by claiming a video that was highly circulated this weekend, in which what appeared to be a black trash bag was thrown from a White House window, may have been fabricated. Armchair pundits responded to the video with their own theories of what might have been in the bag -- some for fun, some conspiratorial. In an effort to tamp down on the speculation, the White House press office confirmed on Monday that the video was real, but said it was nothing nefarious. It was merely "a contractor who was doing regular maintenance while the president was gone," the statement said. Fox News' Peter Doocy asked Mr. Trump about the video on Tuesday while the president took questions in the Oval Office. After Mr. Trump said he hadn't seen it, Mr. Doocy showed him the clip on his phone. "That's probably A.I.-generated," Mr. Trump said, before describing how heavy the windows are, and how difficult they are to open. "My wife was complaining about it the other day," Mr. Trump said. "She said, 'I'd love to have a little fresh air come in,' but you can't -- they're bulletproof. Number one, they're sealed. And number two, each window weighs about 600 pounds. You have to be pretty strong to open them up." Mr. Trump does have experience with spreading false information made by artificial intelligence. In July, he reposted a fake video showing former President Barack Obama being arrested in the Oval Office. And the president has long attempted to blur the line between truth and fiction when he finds the truth is not to his liking -- such as his persistent false statements about the 2020 election results. But artificially generated images and videos are sometimes virtually indistinguishable from real images, and have contributed to creating a world where truth is even more endangered, a development that Mr. Trump said was frightening. The president described watching a video that appeared to include images of him from throughout his life, only to learn it was not real. "I see so many phony things," Mr. Trump said. "I saw something, as I was growing up from the time I was a baby till now, I said, 'Who did that?' It was A.I. generated. So it's a little bit scary to be honest with you."

Trump Blames AI for Weird Video of Stuff Being Tossed Out White House Window

A very strange video appearing to show large objects being thrown out of a window at the White House went viral over Labor Day weekend. President Donald Trump was asked about it during a press conference on Tuesday, and he insisted it must be AI. Curiously, White House staff told Time magazine it was just regular maintenance. The video appears to have been first posted to Instagram on Aug. 31 by an account called WashingtonianProbs. "One of our community members noticed some things being thrown out of one of The White House’s windows today. Doing some deep Sunday cleaning?" the caption explains, noting the video was submitted anonymously. The video got enormous pick-up on other sites, including X, Bluesky, Threads, and TikTok. And it came during a weekend when Americans were already wondering about President Trump's health. Trump's right hand has been black in recent weeks, and his lack of public appearances over the weekend led to speculation about whether he was on his deathbed. But Trump held a press conference Tuesday afternoon to announce that the U.S. Space Command headquarters is moving from Colorado to Alabama. And when he took questions, reporter Peter Doocy from Fox News asked him about the objects being tossed out of the window at the White House. "There's a video that is circulating online now of the White House, where a window is open to the residents upstairs, and somebody is throwing a big bag out the window. Have you seen this?" Trump responded, "No, that's probably AI-generated. Actually, you can't open the windows. You know why? They're all heavily armored and bulletproof." Doocy asked if it was a "fake video." "It's got to be because I know every window up there," Trump answered. He went on to mention that there are "cameras all over the place" and that First Lady Melania Trump has actually complained about the fact that she can't open windows at the residence to get some fresh air. Trump asked Doocy more about the video, and the reporter walked over to show him what it looked like on his phone. The president insisted "those windows are sealed" a couple of times, claiming that nobody can open them. Trump appeared ready to move on to the next question before seeming to blame traditional media for the video, saying, "it's the kind of thing they do." The video was posted on non-traditional media, though it's unlikely Trump cares about the distinction. But it was Trump's next comments that were arguably the most interesting. "And one of the problems we have with AI, it's both good and bad. If something happens really bad, just blame AI," Trump said, seeming to suggest that if something appears to be a negative in the media, the president will just claim it's AI. Trump then doubled down on the idea, even anticipating that he could blame any future scandals on AI. "But also they create things, you know, it works both ways. If something happens, it's really bad, maybe I'll have to just blame AI. But there's truth to it because I see so many phony things," Trump said. That's an odd thing to admit, of course. But Trump is an odd president. Then the president seemed to pivot into talking about a viral video showing him as a baby and transforming through life into adulthood. "I saw something, as I was growing up, from the time I was a baby 'til now. I said, 'Who did that?' It was AI-generated. So it's a little bit scary, to be honest with you," Trump said, "but those windows are all very heavily sealed." It seems very likely that Trump is talking about this video, which was originally posted by Trump advisor and social media guru Dan Scavino Jr. What does the video of things being tossed out of the window actually depict? It wasn't AI, according to Time. The magazine originally published an article on Tuesday that included a quote from an unnamed White House spokesperson reading: "It was a contractor who was doing regular maintenance while the President was gone." After Trump made his comments at the press conference about AI, Time shuffled the wording of its story around, giving preference to Trump's version of events. The article now reads: "Trump's comments on the viral video came hours after a White House official gave TIME a statement that implied the video’s content was real, and that it showed a contractor doing 'regular maintenance.'" It seems like the White House spokesperson did way more than imply the video was real. If there was construction work being done while the president was gone, that would be a perfectly reasonable explanation for what's happening there. The rest of the press conference on Tuesday was also very odd, including a moment when Doocy asked Trump if he had seen the reports that he was dying. The president initially denied seeing the chatter before immediately correcting himself. The president, who has declared English as the official language of the U.S., also tried to talk about his tariff policies, saying it was "un-politically correct" for courts to find in his favor. The term, of course, is politically incorrect. Trump may not be on his deathbed. But his brain is very clearly broken.

Trump says video showing items thrown from White House is AI after his team indicates it's real

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump said Tuesday that a video circulating online that showed items being tossed out of an upstairs window of the White House was created with artificial intelligence, despite his press team seeming to confirm the veracity of it hours earlier. Trump, who has boasted of being an expert in building design as he takes on remodeling projects at the White Houseand beyond, told reporters that the video has "got to be fake" because the windows, he said, are heavy and sealed shut. The video, which circulated Monday, appears to show a small black bag and a long white item being tossed out of a window on the building's east side. Trump blamed the video on AI, saying the creation of fake videos was one of the downsides of the technology, but then said, "If something happens that's really bad, maybe I'll have to just blame AI." Hours earlier, the White House seemed to verify that the video was real when it told several news outlets that inquired about the video that it was "a contractor who was doing regular maintenance while the President was gone." The White House did not respond to a message later Tuesday about the discrepancy. Trump denied that the windows can be opened and said "I know every window up there." He went on to tell a story in which he said first lady Melania Trump recently complained that she wanted fresh air from an open window in the White House, "But you can't. They're bulletproof. And number one, they're sealed, and number two, each window weighs about 600 pounds. You have to be pretty strong to open them up." After Trump viewed the video on the phone of Fox News Channel reporter Peter Doocy, the president again said the windows are sealed and again blamed AI. "It's the kind of thing they do," he said. "And one of the problems we have with AI, it's both good and bad. If something happens really bad, just blame AI. But also they create things, you know?" Hany Farid, a digital forensics and misinformation expert at the University of California, Berkeley, who reviewed the video, said he does not detect any digital watermarks that are sometimes inserted into images at the point of AI-generation. "The shadows in the scene, including the shadow cast by the tossed bag, are all physically consistent. The motion of the waving flags have none of the tell-tale signs that you often see in AI-generated videos. The overall structure of the White House appears to be consistent, including the flying of the American and POW/MIA flag," Farid said in a statement. Former first lady Michelle Obama, in a 2015 appearance on the "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," seemed to complain about not being able to open windows in the White House, telling the host that she was looking forward to life after the White House, saying she wanted to take car rides with open windows and said, "The windows in our house don't open." ___ Associated Press writer Melissa Goldin in New York contributed to this report.

Trump calls video of bag thrown out of White House fake. A White House official reportedly suggests otherwise

During an Oval Office event, President Donald Trump was asked about a video that began circulating online this past weekend of what appears to be a bag being thrown out of a second-story window at the White House. Trump said on Tuesday that it was "probably AI-generated" and said that you can't open the windows at the White House. It's not clear when the alleged incident occurred. A reporter asked if Trump was aware of the video, saying, "There is a video that is circulating online now of the White House where a window is open to the residents upstairs, and somebody is throwing a big bag out the window. Have you seen this?" To which Trump suggested it was made with artificial intelligence and said, "You can't open the windows. You know why? They're all heavily armored and bulletproof." "I know every window up there," Trump continued. "The last place I'd be doing it is that because there's cameras all over the place, right? Including yours?" the president asked the reporter. Earlier on Tuesday, however, a White House official implied in a statement to TIME magazine that the video was real and showed a contractor doing "regular maintenance." ABC News has reached out to the White House about the discrepancies between the two different answers. ABC News has not independently verified the video's authenticity. But one expert said it appeared unlikely the video is an AI fake. Hany Farid, chief science officer at GetReal Labs and an expert on synthetic media, told ABC News that he does not see any evidence that indicates the video is AI-generated. "I'm not seeing any evidence that this video is AI-generated or manipulated," Farid said. "We do not detect any digital watermarks that are sometimes inserted at the point of AI-generation. The shadows in the scene, including the shadow cast by the tossed bag, are all physically consistent. The motion of the waving flags has none of the tell-tale signs that you often see in AI-generated videos. The overall structure of the White House appears to be consistent, including the flying of the American and POW/MIA flag." Farid noted that AI-based video generation models today typically produce videos no more than eight to 10 seconds long, a limitation that can be circumvented by stitching two clips together by generating a new video based on the final frame of the last one. "Having said that, the length of this video does add some evidence that it is unlikely to be AI-generated," Farid said.

Trump Says Video Showing Items Thrown From White House Is AI After His Team Indicates It's Real

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump said Tuesday that a video circulating online that showed items being tossed out of an upstairs window of the White House was created with artificial intelligence, despite his press team seeming to confirm the veracity of it hours earlier. Trump, who has boasted of being an expert in building design as he takes on remodeling projects at the White Houseand beyond, told reporters that the video has "got to be fake" because the windows, he said, are heavy and sealed shut. The video, which circulated Monday, appears to show a small black bag and a long white item being tossed out of a window on the building's east side. Trump blamed the video on AI, saying the creation of fake videos was one of the downsides of the technology, but then said, "If something happens that's really bad, maybe I'll have to just blame AI." Hours earlier, the White House seemed to verify that the video was real when it told several news outlets that inquired about the video that it was "a contractor who was doing regular maintenance while the President was gone." The White House did not respond to a message later Tuesday about the discrepancy. Trump denied that the windows can be opened and said "I know every window up there." He went on to tell a story in which he said first lady Melania Trump recently complained that she wanted fresh air from an open window in the White House, "But you can't. They're bulletproof. And number one, they're sealed, and number two, each window weighs about 600 pounds. You have to be pretty strong to open them up." After Trump viewed the video on the phone of Fox News Channel reporter Peter Doocy, the president again said the windows are sealed and again blamed AI. "It's the kind of thing they do," he said. "And one of the problems we have with AI, it's both good and bad. If something happens really bad, just blame AI. But also they create things, you know?" Hany Farid, a digital forensics and misinformation expert at the University of California, Berkeley, who reviewed the video, said he does not detect any digital watermarks that are sometimes inserted into images at the point of AI-generation. "The shadows in the scene, including the shadow cast by the tossed bag, are all physically consistent. The motion of the waving flags have none of the tell-tale signs that you often see in AI-generated videos. The overall structure of the White House appears to be consistent, including the flying of the American and POW/MIA flag," Farid said in a statement. Former first lady Michelle Obama, in a 2015 appearance on the "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," seemed to complain about not being able to open windows in the White House, telling the host that she was looking forward to life after the White House, saying she wanted to take car rides with open windows and said, "The windows in our house don't open." ___ Associated Press writer Melissa Goldin in New York contributed to this report.

Trump's Response To Video Of Items Being Thrown Out White House Window Makes It Even Weirder

President Donald Trump is blaming robots, or more specifically artificial intelligence, for a very weird White House video widely shared on social media Monday -- but there's one big flaw in his claim. An Instagram account called "Washingtonianprobs" posted a bizarre clip of someone throwing mysterious objects out of an open window in a residential part of the White House over the weekend. "One of our community members noticed some things being thrown out of one of The White House's windows today," the post read. "Doing some deep Sunday cleaning? 👀" Due to the truly bonkers nature of the video, it quickly spread to other platforms and became viral enough that the White House felt compelled to respond. "It was a contractor who was doing regular maintenance while the President was gone," a White House official said in a statement to Time magazine on Tuesday, which implies the content in the video was real. Yet, when Trump was asked about the video during a press conference on Tuesday, he indicated that it was the first time he had ever heard about it -- and immediately waved it off as fake. "No, that's probably AI-generated," Trump said, noting that one can't open the windows in the White House because "they're all heavily armored." "In fact, my wife was complaining about it the other day. She said, 'I'd love to have a little fresh air come in.' But you can't, they're bulletproof," Trump said, before continuing to ramble about the windows. "And uh, No. 1, they're sealed, and No. 2, each window weighs about 600 lbs. So, you have to be pretty strong to open them up," Trump said before pausing and asking the reporter who was questioning him to show him the video. After the reporter showed Trump the video and told him that the video appeared to be shot from the "15th side," Trump went on to say that it was impossible because "those windows are sealed." "It's the kind of thing they do," Trump said, before making a telling statement. "And one of the problems we have with AI, it's both good and bad. If something happens really bad just blame AI. But also they create things, you know, it works both ways. If something happens, it's really bad, maybe I'll just have to blame AI." He then went on to describe watching an AI slop video of him "growing up from the time I was a baby until now" and found it "a little bit scary." "But those windows are very heavily sealed," Trump concluded.