Claim
On June 8, 2025, a video circulated on X falsely claiming that U.S. President Donald Trump had banned Tesla from manufacturing cars in the U.S. and referred to Tesla CEO Elon Musk as a “snake.”
https://x.com/zakayonoel37/status/1931624543103160651?s=46
Background
In recent weeks, Trump and Musk have become embroiled in a public feud. The tensions began when Trump promoted his “One Big Beautiful Bill” to revoke federal tax incentives for electric vehicles, which Musk strongly opposed. Following this, Musk resigned from Trump’s advisory council, while Trump suggested reviewing SpaceX and Tesla’s federal contracts. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/elon-musk-leaving-trump-administration-white-house-official-confirms-2025-05-29
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/06/03/elon-musk-slams-trump-plan
Fact check
1. Source analysis
The viral video bears a visible watermark referencing the Instagram account @dangerousaireturns.
https://www.instagram.com/dangerousaireturns/reel/DKnLcT_pELB/
The account’s profile openly describes itself as “dangerousai” and features AI-generated videos of celebrities and political figures, manipulating real footage to fabricate speech.
2. Image reverse
The footage appears to match a video of Trump speaking at the Oval Office in the White House. While a similar scene is present in a May 31 livestream, during Trump’s final day at the White House when he delivered remarks including a tribute to Elon Musk, the footage is not uniquely attributable to that specific event.
https://www.youtube.com/live/leQOOq1i4gg
A comparison of background details, such as the arrangement of photographs and sculptures behind Trump, shows that the viral video was horizontally flipped. No statement resembling the viral video’s claims appears in any authentic footage. Additionally, no credible media outlet or official record supports the notion that such a ban was proposed or enacted.
3. Visual red flags
Several visual inconsistencies in the viral video point to AI generation:
- Trump’s mouth displays unnatural lighting and inconsistent shadowing.
- Pixelation and jitters are visible around the lips, particularly during speech segments.
4. AI-detection result
To further verify suspicions, the video was subjected to multiple AI analysis tools:
- DeepFake-O-Meter assessed the clip as 98.2 percent likely to be a deepfake.
- Resemble.ai flagged the audio track as fake.
Verdict
This video is AI-generated.
As of now, Trump has not announced a ban on Tesla production in the U.S. in any official statement. The video manipulates authentic footage and overlays synthetic audio to mislead viewers. As AI-generated political content becomes more prevalent, audiences should exercise caution and verify sensational claims against credible sources.
