Trump blames Harris' crowds on AI, so let's all assume everything we don't like is fake!

Former president and “man ever-so-loosely tethered to reality” Donald Trump has given us all a gift ? the gift of make-believe.

Frustrated by the fact that Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has been drawing large and enthusiastic rally crowds, Trump did the sensible thing Sunday and denied that any of those crowds are real.

Referring to a recent airport rally Harris had in Michigan, Trump posted on social media: “Has anyone noticed that Kamala CHEATED at the airport? There was nobody at the plane, and she ‘A.I.’d’ it, and showed a massive ‘crowd’ of so-called followers, BUT THEY DIDN’T EXIST!”

Some might view such a demonstrably false and paranoid statement from a man running for president as “disturbing,” “a deal-breaker” or “the unchecked ramblings of a doddering old fool.” And they would be correct, though I'd like to point out one important caveat: Blaming anything you don’t like on artificial intelligence so you can pretend it doesn't exist is a FANTASTIC IDEA.

Vice President Kamala Harris campaigns for president at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Aug. 7, 2024.
Vice President Kamala Harris campaigns for president at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Aug. 7, 2024.

Trump's unhinged whining reached new highs with AI conspiracy theory

Trump’s allegation that Harris is somehow digitally creating the actual human beings showing up en masse to her events continued in the tone of a whiny child: “She’s a CHEATER. She had NOBODY waiting, and the ‘crowd’ looked like 10,000 people! Same thing is happening with her fake ‘crowds’ at her speeches. This is the way the Democrats win Elections, by CHEATING ? And they’re even worse at the Ballot Box. She should be disqualified because the creation of a fake image is ELECTION INTERFERENCE. Anyone who does that will cheat at ANYTHING!”

To drive the point home later on Sunday, he posted: "EVERYTHING ABOUT KAMALA IS FAKE!”

FANTASTIC!

A campaign pin at a rally supporting Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in Bozeman, Mont., on Aug. 9, 2024.
A campaign pin at a rally supporting Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in Bozeman, Mont., on Aug. 9, 2024.

I mean … crazy. Definitely not the sort of thing you want to hear from someone running to be the leader of the free world and the person in charge of the U.S. nuclear codes. But in terms of dealing with the things in life we don’t like, it’s a solid approach.

Here are some examples:

Perhaps we can all use Trump's approach and blame AI for things we hate

Bummed you got a speeding ticket? THAT WASN’T A COP, IT WAS AI! I’VE BEEN FRAMED, AND THE POLICE ARE CHEATING!

Envious of your neighbor’s new BMW? THAT’S A HYUNDAI TUCSON, AND HE’S USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE A LUXURY CAR!

Trump has lost it: Has Harris finally broken Trump? He's flailing, glitching and running scared.

Sad that the neighbors didn’t invite you to a huge pool party they held? THE STEVENSONS AI’d IT SO IT LOOKED LIKE DOZENS OF PEOPLE HAVING FUN, BUT THEY DIDN’T EXIST! NOBODY WAS THERE, AND EVERYTHING ABOUT THE STEVENSONS IS FAKE!!!”

It’s loony. People will think you’ve closed your account at the Bank of Sanity. But hey, nobody likes to argue with a whack-a-doodle. And if it makes you feel better to holler that something you don’t want to believe is AI-generated, what the heck? I’ve heard worse arguments.

What if ... and hear me out ... Donald Trump is actually AI-generated?

And besides, Trump has been claiming things are fake for years. FAKE news, FAKE elections, FAKE voters. So pivoting to artificial intelligence as the provider of all the fake-ness makes perfect sense, in a wholly nonsensical way.

Which leads me to a grand suggestion for those of us who find it hard to believe that any American still believes Trump is sufficiently compos mentis to be president: Let’s assume those folks who support Trump, the ones who attend his rallies and believe a vote for him is a vote for democracy, are AI-generated.

For that matter, let’s assume Trump himself is the product of artificial intelligence, a fake avatar for the sort of mean-spirited human nuttiness only a computer could concoct.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump leaves after holding a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Aug. 08, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump leaves after holding a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Aug. 08, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla.

Trump, his MAGA movement, the past eight or so years … all AI’d. All fake.

The social media post accusing a political rival of using artificial intelligence to create crowds that were witnessed by thousands of people, documented by reporters and broadcast live? That was a FAKE post generated by a FAKE former president who has been FAKE driving us nuts since he came down a FAKE escalator and then never shut up.

If Trump is, in fact, AI-generated, then he must drop out

The Republicans are cheating. They clearly used AI to create Donald Trump. As such, he should be disqualified.

I don’t make the rules. The AI creation that calls itself Donald Trump does.

That sounds like a totally sane argument, right?

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says Harris rally crowds are AI-generated. Great excuse!