Ever since Donald Trump returned to office, the White House has leaned heavily into humor. However, it backfired badly, so the official X (formerly Twitter) account had to delete the AI-generated video. The post also raised questions about how far the POTUS and his administration are willing to go in attacking the press.
The video was shared on the official account last Thursday. The AI-generated video showed Santa Claus reading from a long scroll, labeled as “Naughty List.” The list included names of reporters and some mainstream media outlets that Trump often attacks viciously.
“MEDIA OFFENDERS ON THE NAUGHTY LIST,” read the text which accompanied the AI-generated video. The clip quickly drew backlash on social media, which forced the administration to take down the video altogether.
Huge congrats to @Carrasquillo for making the White House “naughty list” (ooh we are really quaking in our boots on that one nerds)
Sign up for Huddled Masses, his indispensable newsletter on immigration, right here -> https://t.co/qSggxyCJ8c https://t.co/0p5GTZVham
— Tim Miller (@Timodc) December 11, 2025
According to reports, when people later tried to access the clip on the White House‘s official account, it showed, “Video unavailable. This video has been removed by the uploader.” Although the video can’t be seen now, it was confirmed that the clip was indeed uploaded briefly before it was taken down. Some social media users managed to save the video before it was deleted, causing public outrage.
In the now-deleted video, Santa is chuckling as he unrolls the scroll, which includes the names of several reporters like CNN’s Jake Tapper, MS Now’s Carol Leonnig and Ken Dilanian, as well as some journalists from CBS News, The Bulwark, and Axios. In the background, the classic Santa Claus Is Coming to Town is playing, with the lyric “You better watch out.” The tone of the video made it seem like the administration was threatening the reporters and the outlets, rather than just having fun.
The video ends with a message: “Better luck next year,” and the usual sign-off by the POTUS, “The White House, President Donald J. Trump.” While MAGA supporters dismissed the video as a holiday joke, critics were not so forgiving. As the video went viral on social media, criticism increased.
“This is a blacklist,” said Maine Wonk, social media influencer. They added that the video was “quickly deleted…after getting serious backlash.”
This is insane.
The official White House website has a list of „Media Offenders“. (Some are guilty of „left wing lunacy“, apparently, others just of „Bias“).
Free Speech FTW!
Next up: Ministry of Truth. Lots of candidates for the top job there. https://t.co/sgDK0dt47l pic.twitter.com/1LiDQIsaEc
— @ChrisStoecker (@ChrisStoecker) November 30, 2025
“This isn’t a joke. It’s a blacklist. Authoritarians always start by mocking the press… then labeling them… then listing them. We’re now on step two. History has seen this movie before, and it never ends well,“ said another user. Some critics also pointed out that the official White House should advocate for the American people, not be the political campaign platform for the Trump administration.
“Whoever is in charge of The White House’s social media accounts, and these inappropriate, targeted posts should be FIRED. This is completely unacceptable! It’s irresponsible, and could very well be putting those people listed in real danger, and I have no doubt it’s intentional,“ another critic noted, expressing anger over the use of AI.
