President Trump has been shredded on social media after posting an A.I. video of himself wrestling a tiger that mauled a man to death.
Trump initially shared the real-life footage of William Chapman being attacked by an Amur tiger to his 13 million followers on Truth Social on Tuesday night. It was recorded at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park in the UK, with the attack having taken place on October 10.
The president captioned his post: “Don’t ever mess with nature! President DJT”
The video depicts the animal clawing and biting the victim as he sat inside the enclosure, though his death is not shown.
The commander-in-chief later shared a second video; this one showing various instances of animals mauling people.
Then, Trump went on to share an artificially generated video of himself chasing down the tiger and wrestling it to the ground. After tumbling through the grass with the big cat, the A.I.-version of Trump drags the tiger onto its hind legs with the pair both beginning to smile.
The online response to Trump’s posts has been furious, with the official Republicans Against Trump account on X responding to the A.I. video by writing: “WTF.”
“Someone take Grandpa’s phone away,” another post uploaded to the account read.
When Trump’s Truth Social showing the attack on Chapman was shared by the Rapid Response 47 account, one user quipped: “Had to triple check this wasn’t a parody account.”
Political commentator Brian Krassenstein floated his own theory about why Trump posted the video of Chapman being attacked.
“You know that Trump really wants to distract from reality when he starts posting pictures of men getting eaten by tigers, rather than election poll numbers,” Krassenstein wrote.
Journalist Andrew Egger expressed bafflement at Trump posting the footage of the attack.
“Why is Donald Trump posting grisly video footage of a person getting mauled to death by a tiger in the UK this weekend? Your guess is as good as mine,” Egger wrote on X.
Meanwhile, a health and safety investigation has begun into the incident at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster, where Mr Chapman died after entering the tiger enclosure on Saturday.
Following the attack, the site will stay closed on Wednesday for a fifth day.
Emergency services were called just after 1.30pm on 10 October after Mr Chapman, who police said was visiting alone, entered the enclosure.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
It emerged on Tuesday that Mr Chapman was a child actor who appeared on series broadcast on the BBC and ITV.
He previously appeared in ITV’s May Contain Nuts, alongside Harry Potter actress Shirley Henderson, and in the BBC’s True Stories series, according to IMDB.
He previously attended Jackie Palmer Stage School in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.
In a tribute shared on Facebook, the school said it was “deeply saddened” to hear of the loss of its former student, adding “we loved watching William grow, both as a person and as a performer”.
Jackie Palmer Stage School said: “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our former student, William Chapman.
“Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with William’s family and friends during this incredibly difficult time.
“We loved watching William grow, both as a person and as a performer, during his time with us.
“It was a privilege to be part of his journey, and he will be remembered with great fondness by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.
“William will be truly missed, and he will always hold a special place in our hearts. Rest in peace, William.”
Read MoreNew Trump rule could put refugees on 10-day countdown clock to stay in the US
Elon Musk has just shown why Trump and the US are now the enemy within
Trump hails oil exploration in ‘our beautiful Greenland’ - months after invasion plan
Poland blasts Musk for slowing Kyiv’s Starlink: ‘Big man, are you playing politics?’
SNP set for ’emphatic’ Westminster win, says Scotland’s Deputy First Minister
Burnham rules out coalition with Greens after ‘Zionism is racism’ motion
