ABC:
What's the difference between a 'deepfake' and a 'cheapfake'? Both could spell trouble for Joe Biden ahead of the US election
By North America bureau chief Jade Macmillan in Washington DC
Posted 6h ago
Joe Biden at a fundraiser in LA this week. Video of him leaving the stage later went viral. (Reuters: Kevin Lamarque)
abc.net.au/news/joe-biden-deepfakes-cheapfakes-week-in-us-politics-macmillan/104005106
Welcome back to your weekly update on US politics, where North America bureau chief Jade Macmillan catches you up on the biggest developments in America as we hurtle towards election day in November.
If you're on social media, you might have come across a couple of viral videos this week – neither of which casts the US president in a flattering light.
In the first clip, Joe Biden is standing with other G7 leaders watching a parachuting demonstration in Italy when he breaks away from the rest of the group.
The president can be seen giving a thumbs up before Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni walks over and gestures for him to focus his attention elsewhere.
The New York Post splashed images from the footage on its front page with the headline 'Meander in Chief', while a clip posted to its X account has been viewed more than 7 million times.
Neither the images nor the video showed the parachutists on the ground that Biden was interacting with, and a note has since been added to the X post advising the clip has been cropped.
Welcome back to your weekly update on US politics, where North America bureau chief Jade Macmillan catches you up on the biggest developments in America as we hurtle towards election day in November.
If you're on social media, you might have come across a couple of viral videos this week – neither of which casts the US president in a flattering light.
In the first clip, Joe Biden is standing with other G7 leaders watching a parachuting demonstration in Italy when he breaks away from the rest of the group.
The president can be seen giving a thumbs up before Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni walks over and gestures for him to focus his attention elsewhere.
The New York Post splashed images from the footage on its front page with the headline 'Meander in Chief', while a clip posted to its X account has been viewed more than 7 million times.
Neither the images nor the video showed the parachutists on the ground that Biden was interacting with, and a note has since been added to the X post advising the clip has been cropped.
The Murdoch outlets are so desperate to distract from @POTUS's record that they just lie.
Here, they use an artificially narrow frame to hide from viewers that he just saw a skydiving demonstration.
He's saying congratulations to one of the divers and giving a thumbs up. Video:
A separate post from a Republican National Committee account shared video originally posted by entertainment reporter Chris Gardner from a celebrity-heavy fundraiser for Biden in Los Angeles.
That’s a wrap on record-setting Democratic fundraiser for Joe Biden’s reelection campaign (netting $28M). Former President Barack Obama and President Joe Biden offer final waves to Peacock Theater crowd as Obama then grabs Biden’s hand to lead him offstage following 40-minute… Show more
The RNC gave it a new caption: "Biden freezes before Obama grabs his arm and leads him off stage. Yikes!"
It was then reshared by Donald Trump.
The White House argued Biden was "taking in an applauding crowd for a few seconds", and criticised the clip as the latest in a series of videos being circulated in "bad faith".
"Instead of Republicans, you know, focusing on the president's performance in office and what he's been able to accomplish, his actual record, they do these cheapfakes," press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
"They are cheapfakes."
The term "cheapfakes" refers to material that is edited or "re-contextualised" to change its meaning.
It generally requires less time and effort than "deepfakes", which are usually defined as videos created with artificial intelligence, and which are increasingly causing concern in elections around the world.
With the rise of AI-created videos and images, how are voters to know what's fake and what's real?
The problem for the Biden campaign is that the videos reinforce existing negative perceptions, held by at least some Americans, about his age and mental acuity.
At 81, he's already the country's oldest-ever sitting president.
And while Trump is 78, and prone to criticism about his own fitness for office, polls suggest Biden's age is of greater concern to voters.
The problem for the Biden campaign is that the videos reinforce existing negative perceptions, held by at least some Americans, about his age and mental acuity.
At 81, he's already the country's oldest-ever sitting president.
And while Trump is 78, and prone to criticism about his own fitness for office, polls suggest Biden's age is of greater concern to voters.
"It's a pattern of behaviour. It's not like it's one instance," Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said of the Biden videos.
"The Biden campaign's entire strategy is to convince people not to believe their own eyes."
Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr, shared a post on X arguing cheapfakes were "any unedited video of Joe Biden's cognitive decline that the Biden administration does not want the public to see".
Republicans also criticised Jean-Pierre when she described the videos as "deepfakes", a reference she reportedly later walked back in favour of the "cheapfake" terminology she had been using earlier.
While the controversy keeps fact checkers and cable news networks busy, what will matter in the long run to each candidate is whether it affects voters' decisions in November.
The next big test for both Biden and Trump is likely to come at next week's presidential debate, the first between the pair in four years.
And in an age where half of all Americans are estimated to get at least some of their news from social media, viral moments from the high-stakes match-up could have a significant impact.
"The Biden campaign's entire strategy is to convince people not to believe their own eyes."
Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr, shared a post on X arguing cheapfakes were "any unedited video of Joe Biden's cognitive decline that the Biden administration does not want the public to see".
The corporate media thinks the American people are stupid.
Republicans also criticised Jean-Pierre when she described the videos as "deepfakes", a reference she reportedly later walked back in favour of the "cheapfake" terminology she had been using earlier.
While the controversy keeps fact checkers and cable news networks busy, what will matter in the long run to each candidate is whether it affects voters' decisions in November.
The next big test for both Biden and Trump is likely to come at next week's presidential debate, the first between the pair in four years.
And in an age where half of all Americans are estimated to get at least some of their news from social media, viral moments from the high-stakes match-up could have a significant impact.
AI-generated deepfakes muddied the waters during India's election campaign.
Biden's border balancing act
For the second time in as many weeks, the president has unveiled a major decision on one of the top issues for many voters heading into the election: immigration.
Earlier this month, Joe Biden announced an executive action allowing him to effectively close the US southern border to asylum seekers once arrivals hit a certain threshold.
Now he's moved in the opposite direction for hundreds of thousands of people already here, providing a pathway for some undocumented spouses and children of US citizens to apply for permanent residency.
Biden offers a path to citizenship half a million immigrants
The plan was applauded by a number of progressive Democrats who'd criticised his earlier border measures, and by advocates in the Latino community.
Support among Latino voters could be particularly important in deciding the election outcome in swing states like Nevada and Arizona.
The president also used the announcement to try to contrast himself with his predecessor, again criticising Trump's rhetoric (including his comment that illegal migrants were "poisoning the blood" of the country), and his policy platforms (such as a commitment to carry out mass deportations).
"It's hard to believe it's being said, but he's actually saying these things out loud. And it's outrageous," Biden argued.
Trump's campaign was quick to criticise the president's announcement, however, characterising it as a "mass amnesty" for "hundreds of thousands of illegals who he knows will ultimately vote for him".
It also pointed to the arrest of a man who'd illegally crossed the border from El Salvador over the alleged murder of a Maryland woman, Rachel Morin.
The former president's team believes he's got the upper hand when it comes to immigration, and you can expect he'll want to make it a major focus of the debate with Biden.
The plan was applauded by a number of progressive Democrats who'd criticised his earlier border measures, and by advocates in the Latino community.
Support among Latino voters could be particularly important in deciding the election outcome in swing states like Nevada and Arizona.
The president also used the announcement to try to contrast himself with his predecessor, again criticising Trump's rhetoric (including his comment that illegal migrants were "poisoning the blood" of the country), and his policy platforms (such as a commitment to carry out mass deportations).
"It's hard to believe it's being said, but he's actually saying these things out loud. And it's outrageous," Biden argued.
Trump's campaign was quick to criticise the president's announcement, however, characterising it as a "mass amnesty" for "hundreds of thousands of illegals who he knows will ultimately vote for him".
It also pointed to the arrest of a man who'd illegally crossed the border from El Salvador over the alleged murder of a Maryland woman, Rachel Morin.
The former president's team believes he's got the upper hand when it comes to immigration, and you can expect he'll want to make it a major focus of the debate with Biden.
One to watch: Ten Commandments in the classroom
Speaking of showdowns, a fight has erupted in the southern state of Louisiana over a new law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public schools.
The bill was passed by the Republican-dominated state legislature and signed by Governor Jeff Landry, who argued: "If you want to respect the rule of law, you've got to start from the original lawgiver, which was Moses."
Jeff Landry signs the Ten Commandments command into law.(The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate: Brad Bowie, via AP)
The commandments will need to be displayed in classrooms from the beginning of next year, along with a "context statement" outlining their historical significance in America's education system.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) immediately announced a legal challenge against the move, arguing "public schools are not Sunday schools".
"Politicians have no business imposing their preferred religious doctrine on students and families in public schools," the ACLU's Louisiana branch said in a statement.
The US Supreme Court struck down a similar law in Kentucky in 1980, finding it violated the first amendment of the constitution, which prohibits legislation "respecting an establishment of religion".
But more than four decades on, the Louisiana governor is prepared for a legal battle.
"I'm going home to sign a bill that places the Ten Commandments in public classrooms," he's reported to have said over the weekend.
"And I can't wait to be sued."
The commandments will need to be displayed in classrooms from the beginning of next year, along with a "context statement" outlining their historical significance in America's education system.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) immediately announced a legal challenge against the move, arguing "public schools are not Sunday schools".
"Politicians have no business imposing their preferred religious doctrine on students and families in public schools," the ACLU's Louisiana branch said in a statement.
The US Supreme Court struck down a similar law in Kentucky in 1980, finding it violated the first amendment of the constitution, which prohibits legislation "respecting an establishment of religion".
But more than four decades on, the Louisiana governor is prepared for a legal battle.
"I'm going home to sign a bill that places the Ten Commandments in public classrooms," he's reported to have said over the weekend.
"And I can't wait to be sued."
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