Trump Shared Animal-Attack Montage With Three AI-Generated Clips After Fatal Tiger Video Backlash

US President Donald Trump shared a montage of apparent animal attacks containing three AI-generated clips, according to a fact-check, shortly after posting footage linked to a fatal tiger attack at a British wildlife park.

Trump posted the 24-second montage to his verified Truth Social account on 13 October without a caption. It showed five apparent attacks involving lions and tigers, accompanied by upbeat music.

Lead Stories later analysed the montage and found that the first three clips were AI-generated. Of the remaining two, one was traced to a documented 2018 lion attack in South Africa, while the other could not be independently verified.

The posts came as the family of 23-year-old William Chapman, who died after entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster, criticised the circulation of 'deeply offensive media content' relating to his death.

Three Clips Were AI-Generated

Lead Stories said the first three scenes were assessed as highly likely to have been created using artificial intelligence.

One showed a lion apparently smashing through glass before attacking a zoo worker. Another depicted a tiger and lion charging towards a keeper, while a third appeared to show lions attacking a man in a fenced garden.

The second clip had also previously appeared on TikTok carrying an 'AI-generated media' label.

The fourth clip was not confirmed as genuine. Lead Stories traced versions of it back to at least December 2022 but said it could not independently establish its exact circumstances.

The fifth clip was verified as authentic. It showed safari park owner Mike Hodge being attacked and dragged by a lion in South Africa in 2018. Hodge survived.

Trump did not label the montage as containing AI-generated footage.

Montage Followed Real Tiger Attack Video

The compilation was posted one minute after Trump shared separate footage showing Chapman being attacked by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.

Lead Stories said Trump posted the 41-second video at 3:54pm EDT on 13 October, followed by the five-clip montage at 3:55pm. The footage showed the tiger biting and clawing Chapman but did not show his death. Trump accompanied the post with the message: 'Don't ever mess with nature!'

Chapman died after entering the tiger enclosure on 10 October.

Later on 13 October, Trump posted another AI-generated clip depicting himself playfully grappling with a tiger before hugging it.

Family Condemns Offensive Content

Chapman's family later appealed for people to stop circulating offensive content connected to his death. The publication and circulation of deeply offensive media content is causing them severe distress at an exceptionally vulnerable time, the family said, adding: 'We ask people to stop doing this.'

Their statement did not name Trump directly and instead addressed the broader circulation of material surrounding Chapman's death. The family described Chapman as a 'bright, warm and engaging young man' and said he had experienced significant mental illness over several years.

The combination of real footage from Chapman's fatal incident and separate synthetic animal-attack videos has renewed scrutiny over how easily authentic and AI-generated material can be mixed online.

There is no evidence that Trump personally created the three AI-generated clips or that he knew they were artificial when he shared them.