AI-generated political videos have taken over YouTube in 2025, becoming some of the platform’s most-watched political content this year. These short, slapstick-style skits feature world leaders in absurd and often violent scenarios, and together they have amassed more than 2.2 billion views — dwarfing even the White House’s official YouTube account, which has just 88 million views since 2006.
AI-Generated Political Videos Target Trump and Netanyahu
One of the most popular videos shows AI-generated Vladimir Putin and Iran’s Ali Khamenei unleashing cartoon bears on Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — after the two push Khamenei out of a plane. The clip has more than 20 million views and nearly 150,000 likes, often accompanied by ads for everything from ketamine to futuristic exoskeletons.
In many videos, Putin, Khamenei, and Kim Jong Un are portrayed as clever pranksters who trap, humiliate, or even kill Trump and Netanyahu. Recurring gags include oil spills, wild animal attacks, and leaders sabotaging one another with axes and saws.
Comedy Meets Geopolitics
These AI-generated political videos blend slapstick comedy with international politics, mixing laugh tracks, the Curb Your Enthusiasm theme, and cartoon-style sound effects. Despite their violent scenarios, creators claim the skits are “just for fun” and “not here to offend anyone.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping appears less frequently than other leaders, mostly in lighthearted cameos, such as laughing at Trump’s Art of the Deal or having Trump shine his shoes.
Make AI Great Again Leads the Trend
The largest channel, Make AI Great Again, went viral in April for videos depicting U.S. officials as sweatshop workers in response to Trump’s China tariffs. These clips were widely shared on Chinese social media and even picked up by state media outlets in China and Russia.
Another major account, Global Presidents, has gained more than 660 million views since June and often features Burkina Faso’s Russia-aligned leader Ibrahim Traoré, suggesting that the creators may have a political agenda beyond entertainment.
Experts Warn of Possible Geopolitical Influence
Bret Schafer, a senior fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, said the accounts’ choice of leaders hints at geopolitical motives, noting that featuring Traoré — a relatively unknown figure in most Western markets — wouldn’t make sense if clicks were the only goal.
He added that some channels amplify Chinese talking points, while others post content on Armenia-Azerbaijan negotiations and Balkan culture, making it likely that a mix of political and financial motives are involved.
YouTube’s Stance on AI-Generated Political Content
Despite the provocative content, YouTube says these videos do not violate platform policies because they are clearly labeled as AI-generated fiction. While the company has removed coordinated influence operations before, spokesperson Jack Malon said there was no evidence of such activity in this case — though one high-performing account called Cage Carnage was removed for being linked to a previously banned creator.
TikTok and Instagram Reels have also seen massive engagement with similar content, with TikTok versions garnering nearly 150 million views.
Billions of Views — and Growing
The sheer popularity of these AI-generated political videos has surprised even experts. Schafer said, “I was blown away by the number of views.” With audiences worldwide watching, sharing, and remixing these skits, it’s clear that AI satire is shaping online political discourse in 2025.
Source: Forbes
