What's the row over sombrero videos that Donald Trump keeps posting?

The United States is currently under a federal government shutdown.

And amidst the backdrop of bitter disputes over government funding and health care provisions between Democrats and Republicans, another controversy has sparked outrage across the aisle.

US President Donald Trump, alongside some of his Republican allies, started circulating a series of artificial intelligence-generated videos on social media.

These videos, which digitally manipulated the appearances of Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, portrayed them in sombreros and handlebar moustaches, accompanied by mariachi music.

While Republicans described the memes as political humour, Democrats and Latino advocacy groups denounced them as racist, offensive, and dangerous.

Where did the sombrero videos come from?

The first of the AI-generated clips was posted by Trump on his social media platform hours before Congress failed to reach a deal to keep the federal government funded.

In the video, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is digitally altered to appear in a sombrero and large fake moustache, standing beside Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

The clip includes a fabricated audio track that makes Schumer seem to admit, “Look guys, there’s no way to sugar coat it, nobody likes Democrats anymore,” while accusing Democrats of trying to secure free health care for undocumented immigrants.

This theme was extended in a second video Trump shared less than a day later. That clip began with footage of Jeffries condemning the president’s earlier post.

The video then shifts to another altered sequence where Jeffries is once again shown in a sombrero and moustache, this time with a mariachi band in the background featuring multiple AI-generated versions of Trump as the musicians.

The satirical videos were promoted heavily by Trump’s followers online, quickly becoming part of what they branded the “sombrero shutdown” — a meme campaign designed to reinforce the Republican narrative that Democrats were responsible for the budget deadlock by prioritising benefits for immigrants.

How is the controversy linked to the US government shutdown?

The controversy cannot be separated from the wider budget standoff. Republicans have alleged that Democrats forced a government shutdown in order to extend taxpayer-funded health care benefits to undocumented immigrants.

The sombrero-themed videos sought to dramatise this claim through caricatures of Democratic leaders associated with Latino culture.

Democrats have categorically rejected that assertion. Their stated position is that they want to preserve Affordable Care Act tax credits for American citizens, subsidies which are due to expire at the end of the year if not renewed.

Democrats have also demanded the restoration of certain benefits stripped by a Republican tax and spending package, including health support for immigrants with legal status such as refugees under temporary protected status and young people covered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

It is important to note that undocumented immigrants are not eligible for subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, contradicting the Republican narrative.

What are the Republicans trying to say?

In at least one of the AI-generated videos, Schumer’s likeness was manipulated to appear as though he had made derogatory remarks about immigrants, Black Americans, and transgender people, while also using the phrase “woke pieces of shit” to describe his own party.

These fabricated statements were not random. They echoed elements of the “great replacement” conspiracy theory, a far-right narrative suggesting Democrats are deliberately promoting immigration to displace white voters and secure electoral dominance.

This theory has inspired violent acts, including the 2019 mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, that killed 23 people, and the 2018 attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh that left 11 dead.

It was also chanted at the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where marchers infamously shouted, “Jews will not replace us.”

By including false audio in the AI videos, Trump and his allies gave new visibility to this dangerous conspiracy under the guise of humour, prompting further concern among advocacy groups and opponents.

How have Democrats reacted?

The Democrats targeted by the memes responded forcefully. Hakeem Jeffries, speaking outside the Capitol, directly addressed Trump, “Mr. President, the next time you have something to say about me, don’t cop out through a racist and fake AI video. When I’m back in the Oval Office, say it to my face.”

Schumer also responded publicly, accusing Trump of immaturity, “busy trolling away on the internet like a 10-year-old,” he said on the Senate floor.

Both leaders pointed out that the videos distracted from urgent policy debates during a shutdown that threatened essential services for millions of Americans.

Democrats across the board condemned the videos as racist, arguing that using sombreros, moustaches, and mariachi music to mock opponents invoked crude stereotypes of Latino culture.

Several members stressed that this was not just an offensive joke but a dangerous attempt at disinformation.

Criticism of the videos was especially strong among Latino organisations, who saw the memes as part of a broader pattern of targeting Hispanic communities in political rhetoric. Six major groups — Hispanic Federation, the Latino Victory Foundation, League of United Latin American Citizens, Mi Familia Vota, UnidosUS, and Voto Latino — released a joint statement.

“Hours before a looming shutdown, Trump shared an AI-generated racist video,” the statement read.

It noted that the clips demeaned Jeffries, “the first Black person to hold this position,” and Schumer, “the first Jewish person to hold this position,” while reducing Latinos — the nation’s second-largest ethnic group — to caricatures.

The organisations called the tactic “dangerous” and “reprehensible,” stressing that “this rhetoric isn’t careless; it’s dangerous.”

They cautioned, “The troubling use of AI to amplify hateful stereotypes is not only reckless, but it serves as an act of disinformation designed to further stigmatize Latinos when the tensions facing the community driven by policy and rhetoric are at an all-time high.”

How are Republicans defending themselves?

Within the Republican Party, responses varied. Some leaned into the meme strategy, while others attempted to minimise its importance.

US Vice President JD Vance, speaking in the White House briefing room, openly defended the memes, “I think it’s funny. The president’s joking and we’re having a good time. You can negotiate in good faith while also making a little bit of fun at some of the absurdities of the Democrats’ positions, and even poking some fun at the absurdity of themselves.”

When asked about Jeffries’ accusations of racism, Vance countered, “I honestly don’t even know what that means. Like, is he a Mexican American that is offended by having a sombrero meme?”

Vance even proposed a deal: “I’ll tell Hakeem Jeffries right now, I make the solemn promise to you that if you help us reopen the government, the sombrero memes will stop. I’ve talked to the president of the United States about that.”

US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson took a more dismissive approach. He acknowledged the videos were “not my style” and described them as a “sideshow.”

Johnson told reporters, “People are getting caught up in battles over social media memes. This is not a game. We’ve got to keep the government open for the people.”

Addressing Jeffries directly, he advised: “Man, just ignore it.”

Johnson drew a comparison to his own experience of being mocked online. He pointed out that California Governor Gavin Newsom had recently posted a meme portraying him as a yellow minion from the animated film Despicable Me.

Johnson said he found the depiction “hilarious” and chose not to respond, adding, “Get to work, do the people’s business, and let’s get on with it.”

Meanwhile, Senator Ted Cruz enthusiastically joined Trump in amplifying the theme.

Cruz posted his own video showing all 44 Senate Democrats who had voted against a Republican-backed funding measure, each one digitally altered with sombreros and moustaches, set to a parody of the 1990s hit “Macarena.”

What next?

As the videos spread, Trump’s online supporters embraced the narrative, dubbing it the “sombrero shutdown.” Numerous AI-generated clips and memes were created by pro-Trump accounts, reinforcing the caricatures and keeping the theme alive.

The White House itself signalled no intention of backing down. According to one spokesperson, “the sombreros will continue until the Democrats reopen the government.”

The sombrero videos controversy highlights several larger issues including the growing role of AI in creating manipulated content that can blur the line between satire and disinformation.

While Trump and his allies defended the memes as jokes, the doctored audio attributed to Schumer shows how AI tools can be used to falsely portray politicians making incendiary remarks.

By leaning on stereotypical imagery of Latino culture, the videos risk reinforcing prejudices at a time when Latino communities face heightened scrutiny and policy challenges.

Advocacy groups highlighted that these were not harmless memes but “dangerous tropes” deployed from the highest office in the land.

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With inputs from agencies