Grammy-winning musician Jack White has publicly excoriated a United States congressman for amplifying a fabricated, AI-generated video that falsely portrayed the rockstar making inflammatory remarks.
A Congressman's Controversial Post
The incident began when Tennessee representative Tim Burchett reposted a manipulated clip on the social media platform X. The video, clearly edited, appeared to show Nashville resident Jack White stating, “Don’t even think about listening to my music, you fascists.” Accompanying the share on Monday 30 December 2024, Burchett added a comment referencing the TV character Wednesday Addams, writing: “That cute girl from the Addams Family got really ugly and angry.”
White's Furious Social Media Retort
Jack White responded with a lengthy Instagram post hours later, expressing disbelief and anger. The 50-year-old artist questioned how an elected official in a “once hallowed and respected position” could share such blatant misinformation without research, while also resorting to childish insults about his appearance.
He directly linked the behaviour to the influence of former President Donald Trump, labelling Burchett and others as “trump's lackeys and bootlicks” and “cowards.” White accused them of manifesting neither class nor dignity, instead dealing in “cheap, childish, grade school bullying points and fake christian(!) rhetoric.”
The Fallout and Defensive Response
In his statement, White lamented, “It's really sad how embarrassing our leadership has become,” suggesting the average American conservative would be shocked to see how the country's government is perceived internationally. He concluded by calling both Trump and Burchett “low class playground bullies” and stated that Tennessee deserved better representation.
When confronted by The Independent, Congressman Burchett issued a statement claiming sarcasm was his intent. “Of course I know it’s AI. Apparently sarcasm is dead,” he said, diverting criticism by suggesting White should focus on other issues, like the Country Music Hall of Fame's omission of Johnny Paycheck.
This is not White's first political confrontation. Earlier in the year, he criticised Donald Trump's Oval Office redecoration, sparking a feud with the then-president's communications team, who labelled the musician a “washed up, has-been loser.” White fired back, accusing Trump of wasting taxpayer money and failing to improve anything for the country.
