Former President Donald Trump recently stirred controversy by sharing manipulated images on his Truth Social platform, falsely implying that pop star Taylor Swift and her fans were endorsing his presidential campaign.
What Happened: Trump’s post, captioned “I accept!”, featured an AI-generated campaign poster of Swift donned in a patriotic top hat, with the message, “Taylor Wants You To Vote For Donald Trump.”
Legal experts and celebrity lawyers suggest that Swift could potentially sue Trump on federal grounds for trademark infringement and false advertising. However, the consensus among experts is divided, with many suggesting that Swift’s chances of winning such a lawsuit are slim, Business Insider reported on Tuesday.
Neama Rahmani, president and founder of West Coast Trial Lawyers, believes that Swift could sue Trump and those responsible for misusing her likeness in the AI-generated images. Rahmani referenced a recent case where OpenAI removed a ChatGPT voice mimicking Scarlett Johansson following legal intervention by the actor.
James Walker Jr., a seasoned entertainment attorney, strongly encourages Swift to sue, arguing that she needs to protect her billion-dollar brand and trademark. Swift has not endorsed any candidate for the 2024 presidential race, although she did support the Biden-Harris campaign in 2020.
Swift could also consider leveraging state laws against deepfakes in election communications. However, she would need to demonstrate that the Trump campaign disseminated these images with the intent to deceive voters.
Experts like Jessica Litman and Harry Surden also noted the challenges Swift might face due to strong First Amendment protections for political speech.
Representatives of Swift and Trump have yet to respond to Benzinga’s queries.
Why It Matters: Earlier this year, deepfake videos falsely portraying Swift as a Trump supporter and 2020 election denier circulated widely on X, formerly known as Twitter, garnering millions of views. This highlights the ongoing struggle of social media platforms to control the spread of malicious inauthentic media.
Additionally, Trump’s relationship with Swift has been contentious. In June, Trump dismissed the possibility of Swift endorsing Joe Biden, questioning her liberal beliefs and calling her political stance an “act.” This skepticism was further emphasized during his Capitol Hill meetings, where he discussed Swift’s potential impact on the 2024 election due to her massive audience reach and record-breaking global tour.
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Image via Wikimedia Commons
This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Pooja Rajkumari
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