Vance tells reporters Trump “switches it up” by posting AI video of Kharg Island attack

Vice President JD Vance spoke to reporters Monday before traveling to Michigan and addressed a viral artificial-intelligence video posted by President Donald Trump over the weekend. The clip, as described in coverage, showed a stylized, imaginary attack on Iran’s Kharg Island, a location tied to the country’s oil exports and a site Trump has previously threatened to target.

In comments to reporters, Vance said the president “likes to switch it up” by posting the video, according to PBS NewsHour. Vance’s characterization treated the social media post as part of the president’s communications style rather than as an operational report, while the underlying subject remained an Iranian energy asset central to global fuel markets.

The PBS report framed the remarks around the context of Trump’s repeated threats related to Kharg Island, with the vice president responding directly to questions about why the president used an AI-generated video showing an attack. The story tied the exchange to the weekend post and Monday’s travel schedule, with Vance speaking shortly before boarding for Michigan.

Kharg Island is widely understood as an important piece of Iran’s oil export infrastructure, and public discussion of strikes on the site carries potential diplomatic and security implications. In this case, the issue raised by the Trump post was not only the choice of subject but also that the video was described as an AI-created, stylized depiction rather than a confirmed, real-world event.

The report did not indicate that the administration provided additional technical details about how the AI video was generated or whether officials consider it a literal representation of any planned action. It likewise did not provide specific information about what, if any, steps the administration took in response to questions about the post’s accuracy, timing, or potential to inflame tensions.

Beyond the immediate press exchange, the episode illustrates how rapidly circulating digital content can become part of the federal national security and energy conversation, particularly when the content references high-value targets abroad. For U.S. officials, using AI imagery to depict attacks on strategic infrastructure can draw scrutiny not only from political opponents but also from the broader policy community focused on crisis stability and public messaging.

After the remarks, Vance continued with his trip to Michigan, leaving the question of how such depictions will be handled in future communications to play out through follow-up questions and ongoing public debate. For now, the publicly reported facts center on the president’s weekend post, the AI-styled depiction it contained, and the vice president’s statement that the president “switches it up” as a matter of communications approach.