WHAT WAS CLAIMED
A video shows Donald Trump calling Ukraine’s leader “Temu Zelenskiy” for not wearing a suit.
OUR VERDICT
The video is an AI deepfake from a self-described parody account.
AAP FACTCHECK - An artificial intelligence-generated video depicting US President Donald Trump berating Ukraine's president as "Temu Zelenskiy" for not wearing a suit is being shared on Facebook as if it's real.
The clip's producer, however, says it's parody - and there are telltale signs it has been made using generative AI.
The video, which refers to budget Chinese online retail giant Temu, has gone viral on Facebook, with some users apparently in on the joke while others seem convinced it's genuine.
Ukraine's president was asked why he wasn't wearing a suit during his White House visit. (EPA PHOTO)
One Facebook post that shares the video is captioned: "This guy is either dumb or devoid of proper human sentiments and respect.
"I am shocked to notice that he could be making such cold blooded remarks about the symbolism of Zelensky's mode of dressing since the war began. May God shut this loquacious POTUS up."
Other posts appear to be based on the fake video's content but do not share the clip.
The video purports to show Mr Trump assigning a new nickname to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy - "Temu Zelenskiy" - and using other famous Trumpisms, such as "Sleepy Joe" for former president Joe Biden.
The man in the video has the appearance and voice of the US president, but his tone is deadpan and expressionless at times - a common feature of deepfakes generated using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
In the video, "Mr Trump" references the confrontational February 28 Oval Office encounter involving the two leaders and Vice President JD Vance, at which US reporter Brian Glenn asked Mr Zelenskiy: "Why don't you wear a suit?"
Mr Trump had also quipped "You're all dressed up today" when he greeted Mr Zelenskiy before the meeting.
Online retailer Temu is known for selling budget consumer products. (AP PHOTO)
In the video being shared to Facebook, Mr Trump appears to say: "President Zelenskiy showed up to the White House wearing an outfit from Temu, and I found that very disrespectful, I have to be honest.
"I'm gonna start calling him Temu Zelenskiy from now on. Someone get this guy a suit for Christ's sake."
He appears to continue: "Sleepy Joe gave this guy $500 billion and he can't even afford a $1000 suit? What a cheap guy.
"He spent all that money from US taxpayers gave him [sic] and spent it on the Temu app. He should at least use Amazon so our taxpayer money doesn't go to China.
"Temu has awful quality. I think we can all agree on that. But either way, you can't show up to the White House like that. I've seen homeless people dress better than this guy."
He then appears to conclude: "No wonder President Putin doesn't take this guy serious. He has to take himself serious first."
Text overlaying the video makes it possible to trace it to the YouTube account DangerousAI, which describes its content as "AI parody".
A disclaimer in the account's "About" section read: "Everything said in my videos is original script written by me, it's not real quotes or opinions of those people in the videos. I use AI to create the voiceovers in my videos. They are not the real voices of the characters in the videos."
AAP FactCheck is an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, BlueSky, TikTok and YouTube.
