During his first press conference and public appearance in nearly a week, after rumors swirled around the state of his health, President Donald Trump offered a bizarre explanation Tuesday for a viral video showing someone throwing black garbage bags out of a White House window, claiming the footage was “probably AI-generated” despite his own staff confirming it was real.
The president’s response came during a press conference where he also ironically added a pretty telling remark: “If something happens really bad, just blame AI.”
The controversy began Monday when a video surfaced on social media showing multiple dark objects being tossed from what appeared to be a second-floor window of the White House. The footage, originally posted by the Instagram account Washingtonianprobs, quickly went viral and sparked widespread speculation about its contents and purpose. You can watch the video below:
Hours before Trump’s press conference, White House officials told reporters the video showed “a contractor who was doing regular maintenance while the president was gone.” Trump had reportedly spent Monday afternoon at his golf club in Virginia. However, when Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy showed Trump the video during the Oval Office session, the president immediately dismissed it as fake.
“That’s probably AI-generated,” Trump said, insisting White House windows cannot be opened because they are “heavily armored and bulletproof.” He claimed each window weighs approximately 600 pounds and that they are sealed for security reasons.
“My wife was complaining about it the other day,” Trump recounted. “She said, ‘I’d love to have a little fresh air come in,’ but you can’t—they’re bulletproof.”
The incident occurred amid intense speculation about Trump’s health following his absence from public events for several days over the Labor Day weekend. The 79-year-old president had not made a public appearance for nearly a week, leading to unfounded rumors on social media he had died. Trump addressed these rumors Tuesday, saying he “never felt better in my life.”
Late-night host Stephen Colbert seized on Trump’s AI explanation during his show Tuesday, highlighting the logical inconsistency in the president’s response.
“You just blamed AI,” Colbert said. “Which means something really bad happened. Are you dead? Were you in those bags? Or are you AI?”
The window in question appears to be connected to ongoing renovations at the White House, specifically work on the Lincoln Bedroom’s bathroom, according to NBC News. Trump had previously announced plans to renovate the historic bathroom, saying in August: “We’re redoing the Lincoln bathroom, which was Art Deco. Lincoln Art Deco. We’re making it, actually, incredible.”
The White House is currently undergoing extensive renovations under Trump’s direction, including a planned $200 million ballroom project set to begin in September and the installation of massive flagpoles on the North and South lawns.
Recent concerns over the president’s health have been fueled by visible bruising on his hands, which the White House attributes to “frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin,” and swelling around his ankles related to chronic venous insufficiency. These physical symptoms, combined with his temporary absence from the public eye, contributed to the weekend’s social media speculation.
Trump’s comment about blaming AI for bad situations is interesting, and somewhat ironic, for a few reasons: For one, he’s previously shared AI-generated content on his social media platforms, and he also has a history of questioning the authenticity of unfavorable coverage. But despite the president’s denial, the video remains authentic, according to multiple officials.
For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing.
