An artificially-generated President Theodore Roosevelt managed to get in a few barbs at Donald Trump on Wednesday as the 80-year-old president sought to appropriate some of the 26th president’s glory.
After traveling to North Dakota alongside that state’s former governor, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, to open Roosevelt’s presidential library, Trump was filmed interacting with an AI version of his predecessor, who had no choice but to talk to him.
Using lines from a digital archive built with Roosevelt’s actual letters and speeches, the AI-powered hologram gave Trump what initially seemed like a pep talk, appearing to sympathize with him as he noted that “a president faces storms most people never see.”
But as the “conversation” continued, the AI version of Roosevelt inadvertently highlighted some of the biggest criticisms the 80-year-old president faces.
At one point, it reminded Trump about the importance of acting for the benefit of all, not just “a few.”
The stilted conversation saw the president ask if the Panama Canal was Roosevelt’s “greatest achievement.”
“Well, well, well. Right then, yes. The canal stands as one of my proudest battles, no question. But greatness is a strange thing. It isn’t always the biggest or boldest job that matters most,” the presidential simulation told Trump, who has been engaged in several vanity projects in and around the capital.
“The Panama Canal showed what America could achieve if we held steady and acted fast when the world dragged its feet. That said, I measure my greatest work by the lives improved, parks set aside, food and drugs made safe, the Square Deal given to all—not just to a few," it told Trump, who has made sweeping budget cuts to the National Park Service.
The Trump administration has also made cuts to the Food and Drug Administration, which some critics argue will increase the chances of unsafe products being purchased.
Moments earlier, the AI Roosevelt also told Trump to put the nation first, a timely bit of advice after revelations this week that Trump raked in a whopping $1.4 billion in income from his family’s crypto ventures since taking office last year.
“Every day, a president faces storms most people never see, but if you keep your nerve and remember the nation comes first, you’ll get through,” he said. “I know you know that feeling yourself.”
Trump played along: “Well, I appreciate those words. Those words are fantastic.”
“I just want to say it’s an honor to be with you today. We are making a little bit of a tour of some of the fantastic things you’ve done,” Trump said awkwardly.
While the White House has sought to present Trump and Roosevelt as strikingly similar, Roosevelt is actually an icon of the early 20th century progressive era, having pushed for more regulations on business and more consumer protections.
Oddly for Trump, who was found civilly liable for fraud and whose company was found guilty of tax fraud, Roosevelt also spoke out against fraud and “predatory wealth” during his second term.
Burgum, in comments ahead of the North Dakota trip, insisted that “the parallels between Theodore Roosevelt and President Trump just keep adding up and up and up,” describing them both as “transformative people who really shaped not just the U.S., but shaped the world and the world order.”
When reached for comment, the White House didn’t see any contradiction in Trump commending Roosevelt, simply referring the Daily Beast to his remarks.
