In a surprising twist, Donald Trump’s own artificial intelligence chatbot has ranked two of his predecessors George W. Bush and Barack Obama above him as the most popular U.S. presidents of this century. The feature, known as Truth Search, is available to all users of Trump’s Truth Social platform and is powered by AI developer Perplexity.
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Launch Your Press ReleaseWhen asked who the most popular president of the 21st century was, the bot responded, “The answer depends on how ‘most popular’ is measured… George W. Bush holds the highest single-month peak approval (around 90% after 9/11), while Barack Obama has the highest sustained average favorability in post-presidency.” It also noted that some conservative commentators name Trump as the best president, but stopped short of ranking him first.
Perplexity has promoted Truth Search as a tool that delivers “direct, reliable answers” using data from across the internet. However, the company acknowledged it has limited control over the bot’s conclusions, which are drawn from a wide range of public sources. According to The Washington Post, this is not the first time the AI has contradicted Trump’s claims.
Other Trump Chatbot Disagreements
The AI has also disputed Trump’s position on several key issues. It stated that his new tariffs amount to a tax on U.S. citizens, that the 2020 presidential election was not stolen, and that his family’s cryptocurrency ventures raise conflict-of-interest concerns. These statements directly oppose Trump’s public narratives, drawing both amusement and criticism from users.
“We need more chatbots like that,” one social media user joked, while another quipped, “Someone’s getting fired.” A third wrote, “Unlike Trump, it would appear his chatbot speaks the truth.”
Obama Portrait Controversy
The chatbot’s ranking revelation comes as CNN reported that Trump moved Barack Obama’s official White House portrait from a prominent staircase to a more secluded location, replacing it with an image of his own survival from an assassination attempt. Access to the portrait is now restricted to family, Secret Service, and select staff.
California Governor Gavin Newsom mocked the move, posting on X: “Small men hide from history’s giants.” The shift has fueled debate over Trump’s sensitivity toward his predecessor’s legacy.
While Truth Search may have been intended to bolster Trump’s image, its reliance on publicly available data appears to have created a politically awkward situation for the former president. As the AI continues to operate independently, further unexpected answers could surface, keeping both supporters and critics watching closely.
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