Trump's AI-Generated 'MedBed' Video Sparks Controversy and Raises Concerns About Misinformation

Trump posts, then pulls bizarre AI video promoting MedBed conspiracy

Donald Trump is no stranger to outlandish conspiracies or strange social media posts. But, by any measure, his post on Saturday night was particularly bizarre. The president posted (and later removed) a clip on Truth Social of a Fox News segment with Lara Trump detailing the White House's announcement of the world's first MedBed hospital and a national MedBed card system (two things that very much do not exist). There was no additional context, no text to explain things. Confusing matters more, the video appears to be completely AI generated, including Trump himself discussing the program in the Oval Office. (Perhaps one of the biggest giveaways being the president's ability to stay on script.) MedBeds, for those that tend to avoid the more QANON-y corners of the internet, are an imaginary medical device that can do everything from treat asthma, to regrow missing limbs, to cure cancer. The fantasy of an all-in-one device that can cure all your ills has obvious appeal, but belief that these are real products being kept from the American public by Big Pharma has grown among conspiracy theorists in recent years. Many of the presidents followers acknowledged that the video was AI-generated, but still seemed to believe that Trump was confirming the existence of MedBeds. Whatever the purpose of the post was, we may never know. The president frequently sends things out into the ether and never explains himself. And now that the video has been removed the White House will likely try to pretend the whole incident away.

President Trump Deletes AI-Generated News Report About 'Medbeds'

President Donald Trump has deleted a video he posted to his Truth Social page of an AI-generated Fox News report about a mythical hospital containing "medbeds." Medbeds are a fictional technology -- that some conspiracy theorists believe is real -- that allegedly heals any illness simply by lying in one. Trump appears in the AI-generated video, hosted by his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, in which he announced that every American will be given a medbed card, calling it "the beginning of a new era of American healthcare." While the video hasn't been confirmed as AI by Trump or the White House, it does contain telltale signs of AI. Trump's speech, for example, is monosyllabic, and he barely moves during the speech. But the video is realistic, and the Fox News banner at the bottom of the screen appears to have been added onto the video afterward, as it contains no mistakes in the text or Fox logo. Fox News has confirmed to multiple media outlets that it did not air the segment. "The video did not air on My View with Lara Trump on Fox News Channel or any other Fox News Media platforms," a spokesperson tells Mediaite. Trump posted the video on Saturday night to Truth Social, the platform he owns, without marking it as AI. The post was deleted hours after it was posted. The White House has not responded to requests for comment from the media. Trump is seemingly fond of AI videos, frequently posting outlandish videos such as when he posted his vision of "Trump Gaza" that had gold statues of the 45th and 47th president dotted along the Palestinian enclave. AI-generating a false news report about a medical breakthrough is potentially reckless, as some may believe medbeds are coming to the U.S., especially when using a well-known news show like My View With Lara Trump. It is reminiscent of an episode that happened in July when an elderly Malaysian couple drove over 230 miles to a cable car ride after they had watched an AI-generated news report about it -- only to discover upon arrival that the attraction doesn't exist.

Internet outrage over Trump's AI conspiracy video

Washington (AFP) - Donald Trump stirred online outrage Monday after posting an AI-generated video of himself promising every American access to all-healing "MedBed" hospitals, reviving a widely debunked conspiracy theory. The deepfake video -- posted Saturday on the US president's Truth Social account --- was styled as a Fox News segment and featured his daughter-in-law Lara Trump promoting the White House's launch of a "historic new healthcare system." The phony clip then purported to show Trump announcing from the Oval Office that "every American will soon receive their own MedBed card," guaranteeing access to "new hospitals led by the top doctors" and "equipped with the most advanced technology." The only problem? Such hospitals do not exist. MedBed, tied to the QAnon conspiracy movement, is an imaginary medical device equipped with futuristic technology that adherents say can cure any ailment, from asthma to cancer. Some QAnon adherents believe that "MedBed" technology was used to keep late president John F. Kennedy alive for years after his assassination and was purposely being denied to ordinary citizens. Trump later deleted the contentious post, without offering any explanation. There was no immediate comment from the White House. But an archived version of his post and video, which offered no disclosure that it was AI-generated, widely circulated across social media platforms. "If 'MedBed' technology were real, it would be the greatest medical advance in generations," Matthew Gertz, a senior fellow at the watchdog Media Matters, wrote on X. "Trump should have to explain why he suggested it was using the channel he makes major policy announcements, and why he deleted it after the fact." Fox News told US media outlet The Verge that the phony segment "never aired on Fox News Channel or any other Fox News Media platforms." "How do you bring people back to a shared reality when those in power keep stringing them along?" asked Noelle Cook, a researcher and author of "The Conspiracists: Women, Extremism, and the Lure of Belonging." Trump is no stranger to conspiracy theories and contentious health claims. Last week, the president vehemently insisted that pregnant women should "tough it out" and avoid the painkiller Tylenol due to an unproven link to autism and urged major changes to the standard vaccines administered to babies. The claim was dismissed by the World Health Organization, which asserted that neither Tylenol nor vaccines have been shown to cause autism.

What Is the 'Med Bed' Conspiracy Theory Trump Promoted?

Charlie Kirk Compared Trump and Mamdani's Popularity with Young Voters in Final Tucker Carlson Interview Donald Trump posted a clip promoting new "med bed" hospitals. These hospitals, an apparently AI version of Trump promised in the video, would be "equipped with the most advanced technology in the world." The video, which the president shared Saturday night on Truth Social, has since been deleted from his account's feed. The video appears to be an AI simulation meant to look like a Fox News report. It features an apparently AI-generated version of Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, announcing the government launch of a new med bed program that will eventually grant every U.S. citizen their own med bed card they can use to access this alleged healing technology. "President Donald J. Trump has announced a historic new health care system," AI Lara Trump says in the video, "the launch of America's first med bed hospitals and a national med bed card for every citizen." "These facilities are safe, modern, and designed to restore every citizen to full health and strength," an AI Trump claims in the video, which no longer appears on the president's Truth Social page. But what is a med bed, and where does this idea come from? The med bed conspiracy theory has emerged in recent years among far-right online communities. McGill University's Office for Science and Society reported that, according to believers, med beds are a top secret technology possessed by militaries around the world. Believers claim these devices can diagnose and cure any disease, reverse aging, and even re-grow missing limbs in a matter of minutes. These med bed devices allegedly use ions, terahertz light waves, frequencies and resonances, AI, and quantum technology to heal disease and regenerate DNA. Eventually, the militaries with med bed technology will collaborate to end all war and bring these healing tools to the masses, according to the theory's followers. QAnon believers have also latched onto this theory, with some claiming that John F. Kennedy Jr. is alive and well thanks to these devices. This so-called med bed technology is purportedly so advanced, some believe it originated with an alien society. According to some promoters of the theory, liberal billionaires and Big Pharma already have access to these healing devices but are hoarding the technology for themselves. "It's really hard to define something that doesn't exist," Sara Aniano, a disinformation analyst at the Anti Defamation League's Center on Extremism, told the BBC about med beds in 2022. But some companies are already capitalizing on the excitement around supposed technology. An internet search for "med bed card" surfaces a website, medbedcard.com, that sells a "Limited Series MedBed Card" for $447 (discounted from $1490) that purports to grant the holder "exclusive information about terahertz technology" and "up to 70 percent discounts on all our products." Consumers who buy three of these cards allegedly receive a free IonicCare, a purportedly terahertz-powered wellness device whose website claims: "Only four minutes to reduce stress and feel healthy." But the terms and conditions on the IonicCare site state: "You should not use the information or services on this Site to diagnose or treat any health issues or for prescription of any medication or other treatment." Devices that make similar claims are also available on Amazon. Another company, Tesla BioHealing, Inc., sells an Biophotonizer-M Modern MedBed device ($11,000 for one or $19,999 for two) it claims can "transform any space into a cellular regeneration sanctuary" and has wellness centers around the country where people can pay to access its devices. In 2023, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter to Tesla BioHealing alleging the company has failed "to establish and maintain procedures for validating the device design and failure to ensure that devices conform to defined user needs and intended uses" among several other alleged violations. "Tesla BioHealing devices are not intended to suppress symptoms or treat illnesses," the company's website states. "Instead, they are designed to promote optimum health and wellness in everyone, regardless of their health status." Another disclaimer reads: "Our products aren't yet FDA-approved to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease." The site also hosts a report that claims "Biophoton Quantum Therapy Enabled Cancer Treatments to Reach their Utmost Goal of Cancer-Free." Speaking to The Daily Beast via email in 2022, Tesla BioHealing CEO James Liu said his company's devices provide patients with "life force energy." He added that Tesla BioHealing hopes to differentiate themselves from the "med bed" conspiracy theory. One self-identified Tesla BioHealing customer submitted an adverse event report to the FDA claiming that the MedBed Generator he bought in 2021 did not help his elderly mother, who suffered from strokes, dementia, Parkinson's, and other health conditions. "You stated to put one device under her bed and one device next to her head on the nightstand," the complaint said. "We did that with no improvement ... I was willing to spend whatever I needed to try and heal my mom... My mother passed away in 2024... I claim you and your company took advantage of the need to help heal my mom and my vulnerable state." The customer also claimed the company deleted his negative reviews from its website.