California Gov. Gavin Newsom escalated an ongoing online exchange with the White House on Wednesday by releasing an AI-generated video that shows President Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller in handcuffs.
The post arrives as both political camps increasingly lean on AI-driven imagery to make sharp digital statements.
In Newsom’s video, the three men sit on an outdoor step with their hands behind their backs as the text “It’s cuffing season” flashes on screen. Moments later, the scene cuts to the backseat of a vehicle where Trump, Hegseth and Miller lift their cuffed hands to their faces and begin to cry.
The clip ends with the men approaching courthouse doors as police, reporters and onlookers raise their phones. SZA’s track “Big Boys” plays throughout.
The governor’s post was a direct response to a White House video using the similar video. That montage, featuring Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests, was shared with the caption: “WE HEARD IT’S CUFFING SZN. Bad news for criminal illegal aliens. Great news for America.”
The White House clip drew swift criticism from SZA, who blasted the administration’s use of her music, writing on X that the White House “rage baiting artists for free promo is PEAK DARK ..inhumanity +shock and aw tactics ..Evil n Boring.” Pop star Sabrina Carpenter also condemned the administration for using her song in a similar ICE-themed video, calling it “evil and disgusting.”
Newsom has repeatedly turned to AI-generated content to critique Trump in recent weeks. Last week, he posted an AI image of himself receiving the “inaugural Kohl’s Peace Prize”, mocking Trump’s reception of the first FIFA Peace Prize and his public hopes for a Nobel. The prize instead went to Venezuelan figure María Corina Machado.
In October, Newsom’s campaign circulated an AI-created image depicting Trump as Marie Antoinette. That post targeted Republican resistance to extending expiring health care tax credits and the decision to demolish the East Wing of the White House to build a ballroom before Trump’s term ends. The caption read: “TRUMP ‘MARIE ANTOINETTE’ SAYS, ‘NO HEALTH CARE FOR YOU PEASANTS, BUT A BALLROOM FOR THE QUEEN!’”
Despite their ongoing political rivalry, Newsom recently said he has “softened” on the idea of Trump seeking a third term — something the president has openly mused about despite constitutional limits. Newsom, often mentioned as a potential 2028 Democratic contender, made the remark during an appearance on “The Jack Cocchiarella Show.”
“I’ve softened, to your question, on this notion of a third Trump term because time of life and state of mind,” he said, adding with a sigh, “His regime is going to be measured not in decades, but in years. And that’s comforting.”
