- A deepfake video of Ron DeSantis as Michael Scott in "The Office" has gone viral on Twitter.
- The disturbingly realistic video shows DeSantis trying to prove he's not wearing women's clothes.
An ultra-realistic deepfake video of Gov. Ron DeSantis acting as Michael Scott in an episode of "The Office" is going viral on Twitter, and it's just another example of how artificial intelligence can be weaponized against politicians.
The deepfake video features DeSantis' face superimposed on that of Steve Carell's iconic character. The scene in question was from "The Negotiation," an episode from the show's third season.
In the scene, "The Office" warehouse worker Darryl Philbin is seen mocking DeSantis-as-Scott, questioning if the latter is wearing "lady clothes."
The deepfake DeSantis replies indignantly: "No. This is a power suit."
He then adds: "I do not buy women's clothes."
—PatriotTakes (@patriottakes) May 27, 2023
As the whole office starts weighing in on whether the character is wearing a woman's pantsuit, the fake DeSantis flips the coat to show the label, which says "MISSterious."
Deepfakes are AI-generated videos and audio clips that replace a person's likeness with that of others.
Former President Donald Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., posted the video on his Twitter account on Saturday, writing: "DeSantis does seem to spend a lot of time in high heels," along with a laughing emoji. He was likely referring to the unproven theory that DeSantis wears boots with heels to boost his height.
The tweet has been viewed more than 2.9 million times as of press time.
The video comes just days after DeSantis formally announced his 2024 presidential bid on Twitter Spaces with Elon Musk. This announcement put DeSantis on a collision course with his former mentor, Trump.
Trump's camp has launched numerous attacks on DeSantis since he announced his bid — this deepfake video is just the latest example of how AI has been used against DeSantis.
On Wednesday, Trump posted an AI-generated video of DeSantis and Elon Musk speaking to the devil and Adolf Hitler on his Truth Social account.
The video even features an AI Trump saying: "Hold your horses, Elon! The real president is going to say a few words. The devil, I'm going to kick your ass very soon. Hitler, you're already dead."
"And Ron DeSanctimonious can kiss my big beautiful 2024 presidential ass. Trump 2024 baby, let's go," Trump's voice continues in the video.
Representatives for the DeSantis campaign did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment sent outside regular business hours.