governor of california Gavin Newsome Ted Cruz A viral image generated by artificial intelligence depicts the Republican congressman as a dog, exacerbating an ongoing political dispute over energy policy and fuel prices.
The exchange began after Cruz targeted California gas prices and criticized the state’s energy policies in a social media post directed at Newsom.
“The problem isn’t Chevron, it’s California’s stupid energy policies…” Cruz wrote, blaming the state’s leadership for high fuel costs.
Newsom responded with an artificial intelligence-generated image depicting Cruz as a loyal dog tied to oil giant Chevron. Alongside the photo, the California governor wrote: “Chevron Cruze is a good kid.”
The AI-generated image attracted attention online, with social media users reacting to Newsom’s satirical attack on the Texas senator. TMZ notes that the California governor and his communications team are increasingly leaning toward posting aggressive, meme-based political messages on social media.
The outlet also compared this approach to online tactics commonly associated with Donald Trump, particularly the use of provocative visuals and forthright rhetoric designed to generate viral engagement.
Also read: ‘Fighting the White House over India deal’: Leaked audio from US Senator Ted Cruz
Trump’s AI craze
Earlier, Trump drew attention for sharing a strange incident. on social media. The digitally created image references the abbreviation “RINO,” or “Republican in Name Only,” a term commonly used by hardline conservatives to criticize Republicans seen as insufficiently loyal to Trump’s political agenda.
Earlier this year, shortly after reopening public debate over the future of the Vatican and the Catholic Church, Trump sparked backlash when he reposted an AI-created visual of himself wearing pope-style clothing.
Then in April, Trump shared an AI-generated image that appeared to depict him as a Jesus-like figure healing the sick. Trump later deleted the post and reportedly said the image was actually intended to portray him as a doctor rather than a religious figure.
According to the US “Mirror” report, Pope Leo XIV recently warned in his first encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas” about the uncontrolled development of artificial intelligence. The pope has reportedly criticized the increasing use of artificial intelligence in warfare and believes irreversible life and death decisions should never be left to artificial intelligence systems.
