(The Hill) – Bernice King, daughter of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., is calling for a Trump-supporting social media account to remove an AI-generated ad featuring her father.
In a video posted to X, the account @MAGAResource shares a “deepfake” video of King praising former President Trump.
The Rev. Bernice King, daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and CEO of The King Center speaks during the dedication of the Coretta Scott King Peace and Meditation Garden and monument on Thursday, April 27, 2023, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
“We’ve been told again and again that we cannot vote for the man that did more for the Black community than any other president,” the ad begins, with King’s famed baritone. “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 negro or even worse.”
The ad alleged that Democrats are failing Black Americans and have taken the demographic for granted for decades.
The account the video was posted to is not officially affiliated with the Trump campaign.
Bernice King denounced the video, demanding the account delete it and saying that it stands in opposition to everything her father was for.
“It’s vile, fake, irresponsible, and not at all reflective of what my father would say,” King wrote. “And you gave no thought to our family.”
The King family has become increasingly involved in the 2024 presidential race, with some members endorsing first President Biden then Vice President Harris. They have repeatedly denounced Trump, particularly as the GOP nominee has continually invoked the civil rights legend’s name.
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Trump has falsely claimed that his 2020 inauguration speech drew the same number of people to the national wall as the March on Washington that saw King give his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
He also compared North Carolina’s GOP gubernatorial candidate, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, to King. Robinson reportedly described himself as a “black Nazi” on an online message board, and has faced a deluge of scandals throughout the campaign.
The fabricated MLK Jr. video comes at a time when both parties are concerned about the role of deepfakes influencing voters, with both candidates having been targets of AI-generated videos over the course of the campaign.
