‘Trump Gaza' AI video creators say they don't want to be the president's ‘propaganda machine'
The creators of a controversial AI-generated video shared by President Donald Trump on social media say they never meant to become a 'propaganda machine,' and that their video, which depicts an outlandish vision of Gaza featuring bearded dancers in bikinis and a giant golden Trump statue, was created as satire.
The video's creators, Solo Avital and Ariel Vromen, are two of the co-founders of Los Angeles-based EyeMix Visuals, which partly uses artificial intelligence to create commercials and promotional media.
Speaking for the first time about the video, the pair told NBC News that it came about as a sort of pilot project as they experimented with an AI software called Arcana.
They're not sure how their video ended up in Trump's hands — but Vromen said he shared an early version with Mel Gibson, who Trump named as a special ambassador to Hollywood in January and who collaborated with EyeMix and Arcana on a previous project. While Gibson told them that he shared some of the creators' other work with people close to Trump, the creators said he denied sharing the Gaza video with the president. A request for an interview with Gibson was declined by a representative.
As part of testing the AI software, Avital and Vromen tried to create a video with an eight-hour turnaround. But they hadn't decided their topic until Trump announced a bizarre idea for the future of Gaza.
'It was exactly the same minute that Trump was announcing this thing on TV, like, almost like in the background, you know, it was, 'Hey, why don't we do that? Let's do a little satire,'' Avital recounted.
On Feb. 4, during a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump suggested that the U.S. could relocate Palestinians, at least temporarily, to other countries, and 'level the site' to create a 'Riviera of the Middle East.'
Vromen said he was in Las Vegas when Trump made his proposal, which inspired the idea and aesthetics of the video. 'The idea was like, how Trump wants to turn Gaza into Vegas,' Vromen said. 'We wanted to have an internal laugh about it. It was a joke.'
The video, completed on Feb. 6 according to records Avital and Vromen showed NBC News, delivered on that vision, with absurd depictions of Elon Musk eating pita, Trump sipping tropical drinks shirtless with Netanyahu, and dollar bills raining down on Palestinian children.
Avital and Vromen, who are from Israel and now live in the United States, each said the video was satire, taking Trump's proposal and pushing it to an extreme level of imagination, but it wasn't necessarily critical. Vromen said that he thinks Trump's proposal is one of the few forward-thinking policy proposals that could address a longstanding stalemate in the region.
'You look at Trump Gaza, and you're like, 'Hey, gazillion times better than what it is right now, whether it's good or bad,'' he said. 'With humor, there is truth, you know, but it was not our intention to be a propaganda machine.'
Trump's suggestion caused shock waves across the world, with some analysts and politicians comparing the proposal of displacing 2.2 million Palestinians to ethnic cleansing. While supported by some in Israel and the U.S., Trump's suggestion was widely condemned, even by some allies. After Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and another 250 kidnapped, local Palestinian officials say Israel has killed over 47,500 Palestinians.
Vromen explained that the bearded dancers in the video were meant to poke fun at members of Hamas. 'Yes, that was a disrespectful, maybe, portrayal,' he said, pointing out Hamas' recent handling of dead Israeli hostages, which outraged many Israelis.
'The real intention of this specific piece — I thought that Gaza will be so liberated that it will become woke,' Avital said.
After the duo finished the video, they shared it with a limited group of people. 'We circulated it in a few groups of friends to get a reaction, like you're writing a draft of a script,' Vromen said. 'I posted [it] for about three hours on my Instagram, and I took it off because I started to get some brands that didn't understand, again, the context.'
Vromen is a film director and DJ who may be best known for the 2012 movie The Iceman, which features Chris Evans, Winona Ryder, James Franco and Michael Shannon. He has 138,000 Instagram followers.
Online, the video didn't appear to travel widely before Trump shared it on his pages. NBC News found several pro-Israel social media accounts that shared the video in the days after Vromen briefly posted it, but it had not picked up any notable traction in the weeks after.
Avital said he was shocked when three weeks later Trump posted it on Truth Social and Instagram with no caption.
He said he was surprised Trump would post a video that contained a scene of him dancing with a woman in a club that wasn't his wife, and a scene of 'himself standing erected in the center of the city as a golden statue, like some sort of a dictator.'
'I would never imagine in my life,' he said.
The pair said they wish Trump would have given some context with the video, or offered some credit.
'At least give the context that this is something that was done with mixed intentions, because one intention was just like to react to news that was mind-blowing. And the other intention was like, 'Hey, maybe there is a vision behind it,'' said Vromen.
He also said he feels Trump had stolen the video.
'Trump has stolen our content because this was made by artists,' Vromen said. 'The Gaza Strip movie is perfect, unique original content that was taken out of context and published by the president of the United States.'
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly previously said: 'As President Trump has said, Gaza in its current state is unhabitable for any human being. President Trump is a visionary, and his plan to have the United States involved in Gaza's rebuilding will allow for Palestinians to resettle in new, beautiful communities while improving conditions in the region for generations to come.'
Generative AI has helped facilitate a boom of fake political imagery, which has been particularly embraced by Trump and members of the GOP. Trump and Musk have frequently shared AI-generated images glorifying themselves or denigrating others.
Arcana Labs CEO Jonathan Yunger called the video 'complete insanity,' but welcomed the idea of artists expressing themselves via Arcana Labs' platform.
'The video is not breaking any laws, as far as I'm concerned. And artists are going to express themselves. What people decide to do with that, you know, is up to them,' said Yunger. 'The fact that the president took it and posted it as his own, I think, is the one of the most insane things I've ever seen in my life.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Trump directs probe into Biden's use of autopen, Biden says policy decisions were his
WASHINGTON, June 4 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump directed the White House counsel on Wednesday to investigate whether former President Joe Biden's aides covered up an alleged mental decline and unlawfully used an autopen on Biden's behalf to sign policy documents. Biden, who is fighting cancer, said he made the decisions during his administration and suggested Trump's move was designed to distract Americans from a bill in Congress that would extend tax cuts for the wealthy. Republican Trump has long asserted that Biden, a Democrat who defeated him in the 2020 presidential election, was mentally incompetent and has suggested the use of a mechanical pen to sign memos, executive orders and grants of clemency during Biden's four-year-term may have been improper, potentially rendering them invalid. In a statement late on Wednesday, Biden dismissed those suggestions. 'Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn't is ridiculous and false," he said. Biden's team said the use of an autopen is a well established legal practice following a presidential decision. The former president, now 82, stepped aside as the Democratic presidential candidate last year after a disastrous debate against Trump underscored concerns about his age and ability to serve as commander-in-chief for four more years. Trump defeated former Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the Democratic presidential nominee, in November. Biden's office said last month that the former president had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. That development and a new book that cites concerns among Democratic insiders about Biden's mental acuity as he was seeking re-election have brought renewed attention to the former president's health. While in office, Biden's aides denied that his mental acuity had dipped even as they acknowledged he had aged. Trump wished Biden well after the cancer diagnosis but has continued to criticize his predecessor for a host of challenges facing the country. His move to investigate aspects of Biden's time in power took his criticisms to a new level. In a memorandum, Trump ordered his White House counsel, in consultation with the attorney general, to probe whether "certain individuals conspired to deceive the public about Biden's mental state and unconstitutionally exercise the authorities and responsibilities of the President." The investigation would also look into documents that were signed by autopen and those who directed the use of that device. "In recent months, it has become increasingly apparent that former President Biden's aides abused the power of Presidential signatures through the use of an autopen to conceal Biden's cognitive decline," the memo said. "There are serious doubts as to the decision making process and even the degree of Biden's awareness of ... actions being taken in his name." A senior official Trump's Justice Department told staff on Monday that he has been directed to investigate whether Biden was competent and whether others had taken advantage of him through the use of an autopen when he granted clemency to members of his family and death row inmates at the end of his term.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
What we know about Trump's latest travel ban
Donald Trump has signed a ban on travel to the US from 12 countries citing national security risks, according to the White US president said the list could be revised if "material improvements" were made and additional countries could also be added as "threats emerge around the world". This is the second time he has ordered a ban on travel from certain countries. He signed a similar order in 2017, during his first term in office. Which countries are affected? Trump has signed a proclamation banning travel to the US from nationals of 12 countries:Afghanistan MyanmarChad Republic of the CongoEquatorial GuineaEritreaHaitiIranLibyaSomaliaSudanYemenThere are an additional seven countries whose nationals face partial travel restrictions: BurundiCubaLaosSierra LeoneTogoTurkmenistanVenezuela Why has a ban been announced? The White House said these "common sense restrictions" would "protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors".In a video posted to his Truth Social website, Trump said the recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado "underscored the extreme dangers" posed by foreign nationals who had not been "properly vetted".Twelve people were injured in Colorado on Sunday when a man attacked a group gathering in support of Israeli hostages, throwing two incendiary devices and using a makeshift man accused of carrying out the attack has been identified as an Egyptian national. What has been the reaction to the ban? Trump's latest order, which is expected to face legal challenges, drew a swift response, at home and abroad. Somalia promised to work with the United States to address any security issues. In a statement, Somalian ambassador to the US, Dahir Hassan Abdi, said his country "values its longstanding relationship" with America. Venezuela's Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello warned that "being in the United States is a great risk for anyone, not just for Venezuelans".Democrats were quick to condemn the move."This ban, expanded from Trump's Muslim ban in his first term, will only further isolate us on the world stage," Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat congresswoman from Washington, says in a social media Democrat, congressman Don Beyer, says Trump "betrayed" the ideals of the US' founders. What happened last time? Trump ordered his original travel ban during his first term in the White House in featured some of the same countries as his latest order, including Iran, Libya and Somalia. However it drew heavy criticism for being a "Muslim ban" as six out of the eight countries listed were predominantly Muslim. It also faced challenges in the courts so was revised multiple times before it was eventually implemented in 2018. President Joe Biden, who succeeded Trump, repealed the ban in 2021, calling it "a stain on our national conscience."
Sky News
2 hours ago
- Sky News
President Trump signs travel ban targeting 12 countries with 'hostile attitudes' to the US
President Trump has signed an order banning people from 12 countries from entering the US. He said Sunday's attack in Colorado had shown "the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted, as well as those who come as temporary visitors and overstay their visas". "We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm," he said in a video statement. The countries affected are: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The White House said they posed a "very high risk" to the US and had poor screening and vetting to identify dangerous individuals. People from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela will also face partial restrictions. Mr Trump's proclamation said America must ensure people entering don't have "hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles" - and don't support terror groups. The move echoes a controversial executive order enacted eight years ago during his first term, when he banned people from predominately Muslim countries. The countries initially targeted then were Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. President Trump said on Thursday that policy was a "key part of preventing major foreign terror attacks on American soil". His new list adds more countries, but notably removes Syria after Mr Trump met the country's leader recently on a trip to the Middle East. Athletes and their coaches competing in the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics, both of which are taking place in the US, will be exempt. Permanent US residents and existing visa holders are also among those unaffected. Trump cites 'what happened in Europe' to justify new ban President Trump hailed travel restrictions imposed during his first term as "one of our most successful policies". It was also one of the most controversial, with what became known as "the Muslim ban" sparking widespread protest. Thousands gathered at US airports to oppose the detainment of travellers arriving from affected countries. The then German chancellor, Angela Merkel, said the fight against terrorism didn't justify suspicion of people based on their faith. Her French counterpart at the time, President Hollande, warned against the dangers of isolationism. Still smarting perhaps from that criticism, Trump announced his new ban with a commitment to "not let what happened in Europe happen to America". In addition to restrictions on 12 countries and partial restrictions on another seven, he warned others could be added as "threats emerge around the world". In a second proclamation, the US president escalated his war with Harvard University, suspending international visas for new students and authorising the secretary of state to consider revoking existing ones. Having blamed Joe Biden for "millions and millions" of "illegals" in America, he issued a third proclamation ordering an investigation into the use of autopen during Biden's presidency. In a memorandum, President Trump claimed his predecessor's aides used autopen to sign bills in a bid to cover up his cognitive decline. If we didn't know what the Trump administration meant when they talked about "flooding the zone", we know now. The list was put together after the president asked homeland security officials and the director of national intelligence to compile a report on countries whose citizens could pose a threat to the US. The ban takes effect from 9 June but countries could be removed or added. The proclamation states it will be reviewed within 90 days, and every 180 days after, to decide if it should be "continued, terminated, modified, or supplemented". "These commonsense restrictions are country-specific and include places that lack proper vetting, exhibit high visa overstay rates, or fail to share identity and threat information," said White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson. President Trump's first travel restrictions in 2017 were criticised by opponents and human rights groups as a "Muslim ban". It led to some chaotic scenes, including tourists, students and business travellers prevented from boarding planes - or held at US airports when they landed. Mr Trump denied it was Islamophobic despite calling for a ban on Muslims entering America in his first presidential campaign. It faced legal challenges and was modified until the Supreme Court upheld a third version of it in June 2018, with judges calling it "squarely within the scope of presidential authority".
