Under Donald Trump, the White House has transformed its social media presence into a engine of memes, wishcasting, and deepfakes. This is the new reality of "slopaganda"—state-sponsored trolling designed to provoke and disorient.

It began with a crude mockup of Trump as a king on a fake Time magazine cover. Since then, the phenomenon has metastasized into what academics are terming "slopaganda"—an unholy alliance of accessible AI tools and aggressive political messaging. According to Don Caldwell, editor of Know Your Meme, "shitposting"—the act of publishing deliberately offensive content to trigger a reaction—has graduated to "institutional shitposting."

The King of Trolls

The administration has not only granted the AI industry regulatory carte blanche but has weaponized the technology for its own communication strategy. The first AI image posted by the White House X account marked a pivotal shift: the fringe culture of 4chan and Reddit had finally stormed the mainstream. Posted to announce the repeal of New York City’s congestion pricing, the image played into fears of a Trump monarchy.

• The "No Kings" Incident: In October, the President posted an AI video on Truth Social depicting himself as a king in a fighter jet, dumping faeces on protesters. House Speaker Mike Johnson defended it as "satire."
• The Studio Ghibli Effect: In March 2025, the White House appropriated a popular anime style to depict a weeping woman being arrested by ICE, complete with her real name and alleged crimes. "They’re hopping on brand-new, fresh memes," noted Caldwell.

Manufacturing Outrage

Perhaps the most brazen instance involved an AI-generated image released just as the Catholic Church was mourning Pope Francis. The image, which went viral globally, drew sharp condemnation from the New York State Catholic Conference. "We just buried our beloved Pope... Do not mock us," they pleaded. For the Trump White House, however, the outrage was the point—proof of their ability to hijack any conversation, anywhere, at any time.

"This is trolling as official government communication," Caldwell observes. As the line between reality and "slop" blurs, the White House has proven that in the attention economy, confusion is just as valuable as support.