This column originally appeared in The Politics Brief, our weekly newsletter on the people, power and policies that shape New Yorkers' lives.
Sign up to get the full version where you can ask questions, share news tips and weigh in on the conversation. Hits inboxes on Wednesdays.
The New York Knicks’ run to the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs inspired top Republicans to literally dunk on Gov. Kathy Hochul, with the help of artificial intelligence.
President Donald Trump, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and New York gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman all posted AI-generated images or videos of themselves to their social media accounts in recent days. In each depiction, the Republican is dramatically dunking on Hochul or blowing by her on the way to the rim in a hyper-masculine show of force.
And with AI being AI, each one contains some — ahem — interesting quirks.
Trump’s take, posted on his Truth Social account Saturday, shows him wearing a Knicks jersey while posterizing a sweaty and disheveled Hochul with a two-hand slam. Hochul, wearing a Philadelphia 76ers-esque jersey with her surname emblazoned across the front, has just three fingers and a thumb on her right hand.
Abbott’s image shows him wearing a Spurs jersey while hanging from the rim in his wheelchair over a wincing Hochul in a Knicks jersey. Trump, a Knicks fan in the real world, gleefully sits in a chair in the middle of the court while someone in the stands holds a sign that says “TEXAS THIS STATE.” The scoreboard shows 4:20 remaining in the third quarter.
And Blakeman’s video shows a particularly muscular version of the Nassau County executive in a Knicks jersey stealing the ball from Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani before leaping over Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to deliver a thunderous dunk.
But the Nassau County executive scores on what seems to be the same basket the two Democrats were attacking, all while the game clock ticks up instead of down. The crowd chants Blakeman’s name, but it comes out as … Slakeman? Or Sleepman? Statesman, maybe?
Walter Shub, 40, a software engineer from Rockland County, made the video and several others crossposted to Blakeman’s social-media accounts in recent weeks. He said he doesn’t mind when people — including, say, this reporter — pick apart his work for AI-related glitches. That just results in more eyeballs on it, he said.
“ I'm dunking on Hochul, so you should be able to dunk on me,” Shub told Gothamist. “That's only fair.”
Shub, a Blakeman supporter who does not work for the campaign, said he makes amateur AI videos in his spare time and does not seek compensation for his work. He said he abhors “deepfakes,” or videos meant to trick the viewer into believing someone said something they didn’t. But he’s a fan of AI-generated work that’s designed to send a message, which he likened to political cartoons from decades ago.
“ I would prefer if all my videos were as amazing as a Scorsese or Tarantino moment,” he said. “But I don't have $300 million and campaigns don't have $300 million for 10-second videos.”
Madison Spanodemos, a Blakeman campaign spokesperson, confirmed Shub is a volunteer. She said the campaign’s “digital army” is growing “because New Yorkers need a little humor to cope with Hochul’s relentless tax hikes, utility rate increases and affordability crisis.”
A 2024 state law requires political campaigns to disclose when they use “materially deceptive media.”
Blakeman’s campaign claims the video and several other AI-generated posts are satire, which is exempt from the disclosure requirement. The video does, however, have a small “AI” posted in the top right corner.
Madison Square Garden Sports — the Knicks’ owner — has been protective of its trademarked images when politicians try to use their likeness. That includes last year, when the team needled both Mamdani and Trump for using images evoking the Knicks.
Trump, Abbott and Blakeman’s images all use Knicks-like jerseys. But a MSG Sports spokesperson said the company doesn’t see any violations of its trademarks in their posts.
Hochul, meanwhile, tried to turn the AI images against her Republican foes by invoking their opposition to transgender women playing in women’s sports.
“I was actually surprised to see the president and Governor Abbott — with their memes of me, they're dunking me on the court — that they're supportive of men and women competing in the same sport together,” Hochul told reporters Monday. “So I found that very interesting.”
Listen here
We want to hear from you
Knicks legend Bill Bradley won two championships before serving three terms in the U.S. Senate. Which member of the current Knicks team would make the best politician? Why?
We'll share responses in next week's newsletter. (Sign up!)
This week in New York politics
New Jersey’s Democratic primary results are in. Here are the winners.
Mayor Mamdani was on “Ask the Mayor” with WNYC’s Brian Lehrer yesterday, where he defended hiring more cops. Here’s what else he said.
Who is ICE detaining at New Jersey's Delaney Hall? It’s not as many criminals as the Department of Homeland Security suggests. Here’s more.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and the top prosecutors of six other Northeast states are suing the Trump administration over what they call a “blatantly unlawful” deal to cancel a $795 million offshore wind lease. Here are the details.
New York’s ruling Democrats may be allowed to draw new congressional districts in time for the 2028 elections. Here’s how it could happen.
The New York state Legislature approved a measure that would allow residents to hang small solar panels from their windows or balconies. Here’s what has to happen next.
Gov. Hochul is open to the possibility of imposing limits on screen time in schools. Here’s how she would approach it.
