"Hugging the Tiger That Killed a Man?" Victim's Family Outraged by Trump's AI Video

Posts AI-generated video hours after sharing footage of the incident
Scene appears to imitate victim's actions
Family: "Offensive video"

U.S. President Donald Trump is facing growing criticism after posting an AI-generated video showing himself playfully wrestling with a tiger, following backlash over his sharing on social media of footage of a man who was killed in a tiger attack in the UK. Critics say the U.S. president made light of a tragic incident while the victim's family was pleading for the footage to stop circulating. On October 14, the New York Post, ITV in the UK and other media outlets reported that Trump had posted a 23-second AI-generated video on his social media platform Truth Social, showing him wrestling with a tiger while dressed in a suit.

U.S. President Donald Trump was criticized for sharing on social media footage of an incident in which a man was killed by a tiger in the UK. He then posted an AI-generated video of himself wrestling and playfully fooling around with a tiger on Truth Social.

The video shows Trump facing a tiger, grabbing it as it lunges at him, and falling to the ground with it. It ends with Trump playfully interacting with the tiger, then hugging the animal and smiling. The video was posted just a few hours after he shared footage of a British man who had been killed in an actual tiger attack.

On October 13, Trump had posted on Truth Social a 41-second video showing a man being attacked by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. Alongside the video, Trump wrote, "Never mess with nature." He later posted an edited video compilation of lions attacking people, accompanied by upbeat background music.

In the AI-generated video posted afterward, Trump is even shown making a gesture similar to one the victim had made toward the tiger during the actual incident. This prompted criticism that the video mocked the victim's final moments.

The video shows President Trump coming face-to-face with a tiger, then grabbing it as it charges and falling to the ground with it. The video ends with President Trump playing with the tiger, hugging the animal and smiling.

Truth Social

The man killed in the tiger attack was identified as William Chapman, who was from Buckinghamshire, England. At around 1:30 p.m. on October 10, he visited Yorkshire Wildlife Park and entered a tiger enclosure, where he was attacked by a Siberian tiger and died at the scene. Chapman was reportedly a former child actor. After the incident, footage from the scene spread online, and his family has spoken out about the distress caused by its circulation.

In a statement, the family said, "William was a bright, warm young man who got along well with people. We all loved him deeply, and William loved his family, too." They added, "William had suffered from serious mental illness for years and had been prescribed strong medication," and said that an inquest should establish whether his mental health problems contributed to the incident. The family also said, "The posting and circulation of deeply offensive media content is causing us severe distress at an extremely vulnerable time," and urged people to "stop this behavior."

Criticism of Trump also came from local politicians. Oliver Coppard, Mayor of South Yorkshire, criticized Trump's AI video, saying, "The U.S. president's use of AI to mock an incident and the family's pain on social media for cheap laughs is utterly contemptible." He added, "The family is already suffering greatly from the incident footage being shared online," and urged people not to recirculate the video so as not to add to their distress. The UK Prime Minister's Office also said the family's position should be respected, but declined to comment directly on Trump's social media post.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.