AI-generated fake Trump audio spreads on social media about Epstein files
An AI-generated fake audio clip of President Trump discussing the Epstein files spread widely on social media platforms including TikTok, Instagram and X, accumulating millions of views. Researchers identified the audio as synthetic and created using OpenAI's Sora model, and reported that related misinformation falsely attributed statements to White House officials.
What happened
Left-leaning social media users amplified an AI-generated audio clip purporting to show President Donald Trump screaming at US officials to block the release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. The synthetic voice in the clip said 'Not releasing the Epstein files. If I go down, I will bring all of you down with me,' and social media posts falsely claimed it showed the president berating his cabinet.
The clip was apparently first posted by a liberal TikTok user and came from a video showing signs it was generated with Sora, OpenAI's text-to-video model, according to disinformation watchdog NewsGuard. The clip was then shared in multiple other videos that lacked Sora's watermarks, thereby obscuring its AI origins.
Reported impact
The clip was amplified by posts on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, many of which garnered millions of views and thousands of comments. Liberal social media users also wrongly quoted White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt as saying that recently released Epstein emails do not refer to Trump, with one post on X amassing more than four million views.
Index analysis
The falsehoods stirred information chaos on increasingly unmoderated social media sites and made it harder for ordinary users to decipher fact from fiction in a hyperpolarized country. The incidents underscored how disinformation is peddled across the political aisle.
Governance controls
When the White House responded on X to insist that Leavitt had made the false remark, a White House account on the platform said 'No … she didn't. You are a weapons grade moron.'
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.