Steven Moran
Multimedia Journalist
The Trump administration once again drew criticism online after using artificial intelligence-generated propaganda in its campaign against illegal immigration.
In a Sept. 9th post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Department of Homeland Security posted an AI- generated image of Optimus Prime, branded with the DHS logo on his chest, confronting a man wearing a blue bandana in a scene resembling a poster for the 2007 live-action film “Transformers.” The image included the messages “SELF DEPORT OR FIND OUT,” “AMERICA FOR AMERICANS” and “GET OFF OUR ROADS. YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE MR. SINGH.”
The post gathered millions of views and hundreds of reposts, with users expressing outrage over Optimus Prime’s use in the image. The character is known for the phrase “Freedom is the right of all sentient beings.” The post also drew attention following the passing of Optimus Prime’s original voice actor, Peter Cullen, in August 2026.
The post was later removed, but not before drawing the attention of Hasbro, the owner of the Transformers franchise.
“Optimus Prime is a beloved character who represents humility, leadership, compassion, and justice.” Hasbro said in an Instagram post on Sept. 10, “Hasbro is aware of the posts featuring his likeness. These posts were done without permission and do not represent the Transformers brand or Hasbro.”
This is not the first time the Trump administration has used a superhero character in its messaging. On Aug. 6, 2026, the White House’s official Instagram account posted an AI-generated graphic featuring Spider-Man webbing up people in the country illegally for ICE agents as the character returned to the big screen in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”
President Trump has also used the White House social media account to post AI-generated content of himself as various superheroes, most recently in a video showing him wielding a Green Lantern ring to construct a border wall and build up American manufacturing.
Generative AI has been a subject of controversy in recent years, including concerns about the amount of AI-generated content on social media, its use in misleading advertisements and scams, and the environmental impact of AI data centers.
According to the U.S. Data Center Map, Texas currently has 623 data center facilities and projects, including 349 operational data centers, 101 under construction and 156 in the planning stage.
The U.S. Data Center Map reports that 37% of these data centers pose a relatively high climate risk, 31% a very high risk, and 16% a moderate risk.
While the vast majority of data centers are not used for generative AI, companies, including Google and Microsoft, have invested billions of dollars in active and planned AI data centers in Texas.
Many politicians and tech executives argue that data centers create jobs. However, the average data center employs only 30 to 40 people once construction is complete.
According to a study by the University of Michigan, Data Centers use about 2 megawatt-hours of electricity on average, and 10,000,000 gallons of water per year, usually placing the burden of price hikes on utilities on the average consumer, making it easy to see why people protest it.
Concerns about AI are growing, and the question becomes why taxpayer-funded government agencies can use the technology to create political messaging with few apparent restrictions.
Part of the problem is that existing laws have not fully caught up with AI. The U.S. Copyright Office has determined that content generated entirely by AI is not eligible for copyright protection. At the same time, works containing AI-generated material may qualify for protection when sufficient human creativity is involved.
To put it simply, aside from copyright infringement, what the Trump administration is doing is not illegal, whether we like it or not.
According to the Congressional Research Service, the average age of members of Congress in the 119th Congress is 64 in the Senate and 57 in the House of Representatives. On average, senators have served 11.2 years in office, while representatives have served 8.6 years.
This means that, on average, the typical member of Congress has been in office longer than generative AI has been publicly available, making it difficult to understand how lawmakers can keep up with the rapidly developing technology.
So what is the people’s best defense against AI? Holding the people who use it accountable.
