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Vance Says Trump Will Stop AI ‘Sombrero’ Memes if Democrats Back Plan to Reopen Government

The AI videos using Mexican stereotypes drew condemnations from Democratic leaders, Latino organizations and Mexico’s president.

Overview

  • Vice President JD Vance told reporters Trump would halt the AI parody posts if Democrats support the Republican funding proposal to end the ongoing federal shutdown.
  • Trump’s initial clip, posted hours after failed White House talks with Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, used Mexican folk music, put a sombrero and mustache on Jeffries and featured falsified audio attributed to Schumer.
  • A second video published the next day again depicted Jeffries in Mexican caricature and showed Trump dressed as a mariachi playing guitar in the background.
  • Multiple Hispanic and Latino organizations, including LULAC, UnidosUS, Mi Familia Vota, Voto Latino and others, denounced the videos as racist and an act of disinformation.
  • Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum rebuked the stereotyping, saying the United States would not be what it is without Mexican workers, as Jeffries and Schumer separately condemned the posts on X.