Donald Trump recently ignited another firestorm of controversy by sharing an AI-generated video on his social media platform, casting himself in the surreal role of a physician treating celebrities for a supposed condition he calls “Trump Derangement Syndrome” (TDS). In the clip, the former president sports a stethoscope and a lab coat, positioning himself as a moral healer for the high-profile critics who have spent years vocalizing their opposition to his political agenda. The content features hyper-realistic deepfake portrayals of stars like Robert De Niro, Whoopi Goldberg, and Julia Roberts, all of whom are depicted as “recovering” patients who feel…

The emergence of an “information state” in modern America represents one of the most significant, yet subtle, shifts in our democratic landscape. As Jacob Siegel explores in his work, the machinery of surveillance and censorship—once ostensibly designed to thwart foreign interference—has been redirected inward, targeting the very citizens it was meant to protect. This transformation didn’t happen overnight; it was a calibrated pivot, catalyzed by the chaos of the Covid-19 pandemic and a burgeoning preoccupation with domestic extremism. By leveraging the vast, interlocking network of Big Tech and federal agencies, those in power began to treat the American public not…