Just hours after Donald Trump insisted on national television that “I’m not a king,” the White House’s official X account posted an AI-generated image of Trump and his loyalist J.D. Vance wearing golden crowns. Apparently, the monarchy thing was too tempting to resist.
On Fox Business on Sunday morning, Trump had tried to sound humble while talking about the No Kings protest. “They’re referring to me as king. I’m not a king,” he said, while brushing off the protestors who took to the streets on Oct. 18. And this wasn’t Trump’s first royal denial. Back when asked about the “No Kings” protest planned on his birthday in June, he said, “I don’t feel like a king. I have to go through hell to get stuff approved.”
Within hours of giving that statement on Oct. 19, his administration’s social media team apparently decided to clarify that point by posting an image straight out of a royal fever dream: Trump and Vance, both crowned and posing like medieval conquerors. The White House post wasn’t satire; it came from the verified account.
And if that wasn’t enough, the image was juxtaposed with another AI-generated picture showing House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wearing sombreros. The caption read, “We’re built different.” For an administration already accused of blurring the line between governance and cult theater, the post was like a confession wrapped in mockery.
But Trump didn’t stop there. On Truth Social, he shared an AI-generated video of himself wielding a sword while a song singing “Hail to the King” blared in the background. In the clip, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats literally bow before him. In another video, the “King” flies a fighter jet labeled King Trump and drops mud and/or sh*t on No Kings protesters.
Even by Trumpian standards, it was disgusting. One X user summed it up: “The fact that this post comes from the actual White House account should be shocking to all Americans. This is anti-American, anti-Constitutional, and destructive in its intent.” Another joked, “There’s no way Don signed off on Vance having a higher crown than him.” At this point, Trump isn’t even hiding his kingpin dreams, but too bad we live in a democracy.
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