White House Uses AI to Alter Protester’s Face So That She’s Sobbing, Instead of Looking Brave, During Arrest
Kristi Noem/The White House via X
The White House posted a photo on
The woman in the photo, civil rights attorney and organizer Nikema Levy Armstrong, was arrested this week after interrupting a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota. The demonstrators were demanding the resignation of a pastor at the church, who they say is the acting director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in St. Paul, Minnesota. Levi Armstrong and other protesters now face federal charges of conspiracy and intimidation, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Trump administration officials have repeatedly described the protest as a “riot” and an attack on Christian worshipers; talk to CNN On Wednesday, before her arrest, Levy Armstrong defended the event, calling it a “peaceful, non-violent demonstration.”
On Thursday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted a photo on X of Levi Armstrong’s arrest. Levi Armstrong was apparently handcuffed while being escorted through an office by a federal agent. In this photo, Levi Armstrong is not crying. She is also wearing light pink lipstick with her mouth closed.
About 30 minutes later, things got even weirder when the official White House X account also posted a photo on X purportedly depicting Levi Armstrong’s arrest. But in this version of the photo, Levy Armstrong is shown crying, with tears streaming down her cheeks and her mouth open. Her pink lipstick in particular was gone.
“ARRESSED,” reads large, bold text inscribed above a photo of alleged Levi Armstrong crying. “Far-left agitator Nikema Levy Armstrong for organizing church riots in Minnesota.”
However, everything else about the photo is the same, including the position of Levi Armstrong’s body, the client, and the background.
like CNN Fact checker Daniel Dale quickly confirmed that the photo had been altered to make it appear as if Levi Armstrong was crying during her arrest.
Journalists and lawyers, among others, were quick to point out the discrepancy, taking to social media to show the stark difference between the two images.
Futurism She contacted the White House and the Department of Homeland Security to ask whether artificial intelligence had been used to alter the image, but did not immediately receive a response.
According to Deal, when contacted for comment, the White House responded with a link to a post from an administration spokesperson that read: “law enforcement will continue. Memes will continue.”
However, in its initial post, the White House made no attempt to explain that the photo had been doctored, nor did its display in any way suggest that it was not real. It was presented as follows: Image. In this context, labeling this action – the undisclosed and unflattering alteration of a photo of the arrest of a US citizen accused of a federal crime but not yet tried or convicted in court, posted on an official White House information channel – as a “meme” is at best disingenuous. At worst, it is a reactionary lie intended to influence public opinion and the information ecosystem.
To that end, it’s not clear why the White House feels the need to alter the photo of the arrest in this way, other than to portray a different reality of Levi Armstrong’s arrest — that is, if the reality of the photo Noem posted doesn’t fit the administration and its goals.
More on the Trump administration: Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services criticizes major African health organization, calling it “phony” and “incompetent.”
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2026-01-22 21:11:00
