Rock musician and Tennessee resident Jack White delivered a scathing rebuke to U.S. Representative Tim Burchett on Tuesday, after the Republican congressman promoted a fabricated, AI-generated video clip of the artist.
A Congressman Shares a Fabricated Clip
The controversy began on Monday when Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) reshared a post on X from a right-wing account. The post contained a phony audio clip, falsely portraying White as saying, “Don’t even think about listening to my music, you fascists.” Burchett accompanied the share with a comment mocking White's appearance, writing, “That cute little girl from the Addams Family got really ugly and angry.”
White's Fiery Instagram Retort
Jack White, a known critic of former President Donald Trump who lives in Nashville with his wife Olivia Jean, did not hold back in his response. He took to Instagram to condemn the elected official's actions, framing them as juvenile and damaging to public trust.
White accused Burchett of acting like a child “on a playground” by resorting to personal insults about his looks. He expressed dismay that someone in a “once hallowed and respected position in our society” would use his platform to spread AI-manipulated content.
“What kind of joke are we all living in now?” White wrote in a lengthy caption, questioning the state of American leadership.
Condemning "Cowards" and a "Cult"
The musician's critique extended beyond the single incident to lambast the political culture surrounding Trump. He labeled Trump's supporters in government as “cowards” and “bootlicks” who would never dare to speak so disrespectfully in person.
“trump really lowered the bar when he brought his scourge to this government,” White stated. He argued that figures like Burchett lack class and dignity, merely “regurgitate cheap, childish, grade school bullying points and fake christian(!) rhetoric.”
White lamented the embarrassment of current leadership and directly addressed his state's representative: “The great state of Tennessee deserves better Mr. Burchett but you and your cult are too dug in and blinded to even realize it.”
He painted a vivid picture of hypocrisy, accusing Burchett of “Holding a bible in one hand and a flag in the other while you stomp out our democracy day by day in the service of one man’s ego.” White concluded by contrasting current officials with historic leaders like JFK, FDR, and MLK, questioning if many modern representatives have ever truly read the Constitution they swore to uphold.
