Texas Democrat slams Trump’s AI video amid government shutdown crisis

Texas Democrat Jolanda Jones slammed President Donald Trump for previously sharing an AI-generated video of him wearing a crown in a fighter jet over New York City, unloading what appeared to be feces on the protesters in the middle of a government shutdown.

Jones, a Texas state representative running for an open U.S. House seat in Houston after the death of Rep. Sylvester Turner in March, made the remarks while commenting on the uncertainty of funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) stemming from the government shutdown.

“Nothing illustrates more why we need leaders who are unafraid to fight Donald Trump than his shameful manipulation of food benefits for hungry people,” Jones said in a statement Monday to Fox News Digital. “What kind of a monster would allow children to go hungry to score political points? I’ll tell you exactly who: Donald Trump. No one will fight Trump harder than I will. Let me at him.”

Jones’ comments came after she told reporters Friday during a virtual press briefing previewing Tuesday’s election that a pause in SNAP funding would amount to a “death sentence for people,” while also commenting on Trump spending time and money to create AI-generated videos depicting him “crapping on people for exercising their First Amendment right to speak.” 

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“He’s a troll,” she said Friday. 

Trump shared the video Oct. 18 during the “No Kings” nationwide protests that organizers claim are in opposition to his authoritarian policies. The protests were held in major cities, including Washington, New York City and Los Angeles.

Protesters gather with signs and flags in a late afternoon “No Kings” 2.0 protest against the Trump Administration near Roosevelt Park in Detroit Oct. 18, 2025.  (Amy Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

SNAP benefits were slated to run out of funding Saturday, potentially affecting 42 million Americans enrolled in the program. The program supports non- or low-income individuals or families to purchase groceries on a debit card.

However, two federal judges issued orders Friday demanding that the Trump administration continue to provide funding for SNAP and use emergency reserve funds to keep the program afloat. Still, it’s uncertain how the debit cards will be reloaded for beneficiaries after the rulings. 

The Trump administration said Monday that it plans to pay half of its SNAP benefits in November. However, Trump said in a post Tuesday on social media that SNAP benefits would only be distributed “when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!”

Even so, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that while the Trump administration is following the court order, SNAP recipients should expect it to take “some time” for SNAP recipients to receive the contingency funds. 

Meanwhile, Jones also said she is ready to take on Trump and would back impeaching the president.

President Donald Trump started construction on a new White House ballroom in October. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images; Eric Lee/Getty Images)

“Our president should not be tearing the East Wing of the White House. He should be building affordable housing, and I will fight for that. … He has not met Jolanda Jones, and I’m ready to go at him, toe for toe, exactly what I’m ready to do,” she said Friday. 

Jones is one of more than 15 candidates running in the special election for Texas’ 18th district in Houston. If candidates fail to receive a majority of votes, the top two contenders will face off in a runoff election. 

Earlier in October, Jones told CNN she didn’t subscribe to former first lady Michelle Obama’s mantra that “when they go low, we go high.” Instead, Jones said she would strike back harder.

“If you hit me in my face, I’m not going to punch you back in your face,” Jones said in an interview with CNN’s “OutFront” on Oct. 22 as she made a throat-slashing gesture.

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“We can go back-and-forth, fighting each other’s faces,” Jones said. “You’ve got to hit hard enough where they won’t come back.”

Jolanda Jones speaks during the All In For Equality Advocacy Day demonstration in front of the Texas State Capitol March 20, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Jones doubled down on her statements Friday, saying she “did not stutter” in her previous interview.

Jones’ campaign defended her previous statements and said her remarks were metaphorical.

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“The interviewer asked about the phrase, ‘When they go low, we go high.’ Representative Jones responded with a simple fighting metaphor — nothing more, nothing less,” a spokesperson for Jones’ campaign previously told Fox News Digital. “Anyone attempting to read more into it is mistaken.”

Fox News’ Taylor Penley and The Associated Press contributed to this report.