{"id":260665,"date":"2026-08-31T17:54:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T17:54:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/31\/donald-trump-posts-ai-destruction-of-kharg-island-does-he-know-its-not-real\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T17:54:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T17:54:17","slug":"donald-trump-posts-ai-destruction-of-kharg-island-does-he-know-its-not-real","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/31\/donald-trump-posts-ai-destruction-of-kharg-island-does-he-know-its-not-real\/","title":{"rendered":"Donald Trump Posts AI Destruction of Kharg Island: Does He Know It&#8217;s Not Real?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>This is not the first time that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/08\/donald-trump-wants-new-charges-reflecting-pool-pirro-convenes-new-grand-jury\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a> AI slop posts have ignited <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/02\/donald-trump-racist-post-barack-michelle-obama\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">controversy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But when he posted a depiction of Kharg Island being destroyed in a series of explosions, people had questions.<\/p>\n<p>Is this some new attempt to threaten Iran during this disastrous war?<\/p>\n<p>Is Trump even aware that the video isn\u2019t real?<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><\/noscript><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"762\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0831_donaldtrump_01-1024x762.jpg\" alt=\"Donald Trump squints in August 2026.\" class=\"wp-image-562165 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0831_donaldtrump_01-1024x762.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0831_donaldtrump_01-300x223.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0831_donaldtrump_01-768x571.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0831_donaldtrump_01-2048x1524.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0831_donaldtrump_01-960x714.jpg 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0831_donaldtrump_01-1080x804.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0831_donaldtrump_01-1200x893.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0831_donaldtrump_01-scaled.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Donald Trump speaks during an event at the White House on August 24, 2026.<span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Photo Credit: Win McNamee\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-kharg-island-being-blown-to-smithereens\">\u2018Kharg Island being blown to smithereens\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>On Monday, August 31, Donald Trump took to his <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/117187725011060792\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Truth Social<\/a> account to post a bizarre video.<\/p>\n<p>The clearly AI slop image depicted the destruction of oil storage tanks, docks, refineries, and more.<\/p>\n<p>The video is from the point of view of inside of a helicopter, which surveys the catastrophic bombing of an island.<\/p>\n<p>Though technological literacy and other context clues make it clear that the video is fake, that might not be apparent to some who might view the video and believe it to be real.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKharg Island being blown to smithereens,\u201d Trump captioned the video, signing it: \u201cPresident DJT.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"bluesky-embed\" data-bluesky-uri=\"at:\/\/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3mudtz2336226\" data-bluesky-cid=\"bafyreibbokwufmdlfl4iufc4t4m6n7jhgu377odz6snjjlvg22zgdbpg6u\" data-bluesky-embed-color-mode=\"dark\">\n<p lang=\"en\">Trump posts AI slop with the caption, \u201cKharg Island being blown to smithereens!!!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc\/post\/3mudtz2336226?ref_src=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[image or embed]<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Aaron Rupar (<a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc?ref_src=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@atrupar.com<\/a>) <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc\/post\/3mudtz2336226?ref_src=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">August 30, 2026 at 10:23 PM<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>To start with, we should emphasize that not only is the video a fabrication, but it does not depict an actual event.<\/p>\n<p>Kharg Island, a major oil refinery site for Iran, has not been destroyed.<\/p>\n<p>Reports do say that Larak Island \u2014 another Iranian island \u2014 was bombed today. But that is, in fact, a different island.<\/p>\n<p>Is Trump threatening Kharg Island and, more broadly, Iran with his post?<\/p>\n<p>Did he confuse one island for another?<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"bluesky-embed\" data-bluesky-uri=\"at:\/\/did:plc:756gaaeewovgn4axja34ajne\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3mudylcndhk2l\" data-bluesky-cid=\"bafyreibzcnilykay576nm7qlp6a46w5v7l7mhjr23oq3wxjjmzndf7iesu\" data-bluesky-embed-color-mode=\"dark\">\n<p lang=\"en\">The name of the island the US bombed today is Larak. It is hundreds of kilometers from Kharg.<\/p>\n<p>This is at least the second time Trump claimed the US destroyed Kharg Island. He\u2019s also threatened to take it many times. US forces have not targeted Kharg Island since the first phase of the war in March.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:756gaaeewovgn4axja34ajne\/post\/3mudylcndhk2l?ref_src=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[image or embed]<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Nicholas Grossman (<a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:756gaaeewovgn4axja34ajne?ref_src=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@nicholasgrossman.bsky.social<\/a>) <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:756gaaeewovgn4axja34ajne\/post\/3mudylcndhk2l?ref_src=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">August 30, 2026 at 11:45 PM<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-does-donald-trump-know-that-the-video-that-he-posted-isn-t-real\">Does Donald Trump know that the video that he posted isn\u2019t real?<\/h2>\n<p>At first, looking at the slop video of Kharg Island\u2019s destruction appears puzzling.<\/p>\n<p>Does Trump believe that the American people will believe that it\u2019s real? (Iran, obviously, does not.)<\/p>\n<p>Alternatively, is this his attempt at issuing a threat? He has done little else for six months as he expends America\u2019s military resources and blows the Pentagon\u2019s budget on this pointless war.<\/p>\n<p>Then, a more creeping fear sinks in: Does Trump know that the video is fake?<\/p>\n<p>Probably. He probably knows that the video is not real. Though he has in the past expressed confusion over AI slop and even simple photo editing that is not meant to deceive, Trump hopefully knows that the video isn\u2019t real. But it\u2019s sad that we even have to wonder.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"bluesky-embed\" data-bluesky-uri=\"at:\/\/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3mnzbi5yiec2l\" data-bluesky-cid=\"bafyreihixzvyatcbajjgskdy53wg5qbirdtg4lgrbidcvj65dgvrxi4os4\" data-bluesky-embed-color-mode=\"dark\">\n<p lang=\"en\">Trump: &#8220;My preference has always been to take Kharg Island. I don&#8217;t know that America has the stomach for it, to be honest with it. You&#8217;d make a fortune.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc\/post\/3mnzbi5yiec2l?ref_src=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">[image or embed]<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Aaron Rupar (<a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc?ref_src=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@atrupar.com<\/a>) <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc\/post\/3mnzbi5yiec2l?ref_src=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">June 11, 2026 at 8:54 AM<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The recent coverage of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/08\/natalie-harp-brother-describes-donald-trump-relationship\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Natalie Harp<\/a> and her feverish devotion to Trump has been just one part of a larger conversation about Trump\u2019s tenuous connection to reality.<\/p>\n<p>Even early during the Iran War, Trump would refer to supercuts of destruction of military targets in an excited tone, like a young child describing what he\u2019d just seen, as if unaware that these clips were edited to appease him.<\/p>\n<p>It is probably not good, on any level, that we have doubts as to whether Trump knows which island the US military just bombed or whether he is lucid enough to know when a video is AI slop or authentic.<\/p>\n<p>(Today, he also posted a demand for Americans to love AI data centers. Presumably, this was at the urging of tech influencers who are desperately fighting a sea of hard-earned ill will while hoping to delay the popping of the AI bubble for a few more months.)<\/p>\n<p>We live in a dismal timeline. Not the darkest, however. We could have all of this and also Spencer Pratt as LA mayor. Thankfully, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/06\/spencer-pratt-eliminated-from-la-mayoral-race\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">that is not the case<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Things could always get worse \u2014 but they could also get significantly better. We don\u2019t have to live this way.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/08\/donald-trump-kharg-island-ai-slop-video\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reading Time: 3 minutes This is not the first time that Donald Trump\u2019s AI slop posts have ignited controversy. But when he posted a depiction of Kharg Island being destroyed in a series of explosions, people had questions. Is this some new attempt to threaten Iran during this disastrous war? Is Trump even aware that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":260666,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-260665","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hollywood"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=260665"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260665\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/260666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=260665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=260665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=260665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}