China Deploys AI-Generated Videos to Mock US Tariffs and Manufacturing Revival Plans

Robots, fraught consumers star in China AI videos mocking tariffs

BEIJING, April 5 (Reuters) - China's state-run media has taken to the internet with AI-generated videos, featuring dancing robots and fraught consumers, to chide U.S. President Donald Trump and tariffs they say threaten high inflation and economic distress for Americans. "'Liberation Day', you promised us the stars. But tariffs killed our cheap Chinese cars," an automated female voice sings in a video, opens new tab on the website of China's CGTN, a state-run English-language broadcaster, over a shot of a woman at a kitchen table staring at an empty fork. The two-minute, 42-second clip, referring to Trump's use of "Liberation Day" for the day of his tariff announcement, was captioned with a warning: "Track is AI-generated. The debt crisis? 100 percent human-made." Another video, opens new tab posted on the X.com page of state-run news agency Xinhua, also generated by artificial intelligence, shows a robot named TARIFF that chooses to self-destruct rather than follow its creator's orders for high tariffs that bring "trade wars and unrest". China has sharply criticised the U.S. tariffs, which have triggered the biggest stock market rout since the pandemic, and retaliated on Friday with import duties and export curbs of its own. Economists say consumers are likely to see higher prices due to the trade war and that the U.S. economy could enter a downturn, while some U.S. trade partners are putting their own levies on American products - effects that Trump has called a "disturbance". The CGTN video, which displays lyrics in English and Chinese over images of car factories and humanoid robots dancing in burned-out streets, makes a more dire assessment. "You taxed each truck, you taxed each tire. Midwest burnin' in your dumpster fire," the automated voice sings. Reporting by Antoni Slodkowski and Qiaoyi Li; Editing by Edmund Klamann Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab Suggested Topics:Artificial Intelligence

China trolls Trump with AI clip of overweight Americans working in factories

Chinese social media users have mocked Donald Trump with an AI-generated video showing overweight Americans working in factories. A viral 30-second clip shows a series of miserable-looking rotund Americans slowly sewing garments and building smartphones on crowded shop floors. The video, which is set to Chinese music, is called "make America great again" and has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times. At one point in the clip, a middle-aged, overweight man looks depressed as he stares into space while stitching a white, lace bra. The pointed jibe comes as the trade war between Beijing and Washington deepened on Wednesday, as China said it would impose 84 per cent tariffs on US goods from Thursday. Stocks continued to plunge as Beijing's finance ministry said it would raise its planned import taxes on US goods by 50 per cent from the previously announced 34 per cent. It comes after Mr Trump imposed 104 per cent tariffs on China as part of his "liberation day" levies, which came into force on Wednesday. The mocking video follows Beijing's outrage at JD Vance, US vice-president, referring to Chinese factory workers as "peasants". In a Fox News interview last week, Mr Vance said: "We borrow money from Chinese peasants to buy the things those Chinese peasants manufacture. "That is not a recipe for economic prosperity. It's not a recipe for low prices, and it's not a recipe for good jobs in the United States of America." China hit back at the comments, branding Mr Vance "ignorant and impolite". "China's position on China-US economic and trade relations has been made very clear," said Lin Jian, a foreign ministry spokesman. "It is surprising and sad to hear such ignorant and impolite words from this vice-president."

China mocks average American with offensive AI video showing them in factories

TL;DR: Amid President Trump's newly announced trade tariffs, an AI-generated video depicting Americans working in factories has gone viral on Chinese social media. This video has also gained significant attention on Western social media platforms. Amid President Trump's recently announced trade tariffs, an artificial intelligence-generated video of Americans working in factories has gone viral on Chinese social media. The video has now made its way to Western social media platforms, where it has garnered quite a lot of attention. The video has been copied and reshared on various social media platforms and shows a satirical take on what American people look like working in factories. The video was titled "Make America Great Again," a clear nod to President Trump's campaign slogan. It depicts overweight people working in what appears to be sweatshops, making various items of clothing and smartphones. The AI-generated people in the video also look miserable. The timing of the AI-generated video mocking Americans comes only days after President Trump announced heavy tariffs on China, along with numerous other countries. Trump's goal of the tariffs is to make better deals with its trade partners and ultimately bring manufacturing back to the United States. It appears China is attempting to show Americans what the future holds for them with this satirical AI generated video. As for the tariffs, Trump has smacked the nation with a 104% import tax on all Chinese goods that will come into effect at midnight US time. "Any country that Retaliates against the U.S. by issuing additional Tariffs, above and beyond their already existing long term Tariff abuse of our Nation, will be immediately met with new and substantially higher Tariffs, over and above those initially set," Mr Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Monday, US time

Robots, Fraught Consumers Star in China AI Videos Mocking Tariffs

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's state-run media has taken to the internet with AI-generated videos, featuring dancing robots and fraught consumers, to chide U.S. President Donald Trump and tariffs they say threaten high inflation and economic distress for Americans. "'Liberation Day', you promised us the stars. But tariffs killed our cheap Chinese cars," an automated female voice sings in a video on the website of China's CGTN, a state-run English-language broadcaster, over a shot of a woman at a kitchen table staring at an empty fork. The two-minute, 42-second clip, referring to Trump's use of "Liberation Day" for the day of his tariff announcement, was captioned with a warning: "Track is AI-generated. The debt crisis? 100 percent human-made." Another video posted on the X.com page of state-run news agency Xinhua, also generated by artificial intelligence, shows a robot named TARIFF that chooses to self-destruct rather than follow its creator's orders for high tariffs that bring "trade wars and unrest". China has sharply criticised the U.S. tariffs, which have triggered the biggest stock market rout since the pandemic, and retaliated on Friday with import duties and export curbs of its own. Economists say consumers are likely to see higher prices due to the trade war and that the U.S. economy could enter a downturn, while some U.S. trade partners are putting their own levies on American products - effects that Trump has called a "disturbance". The CGTN video, which displays lyrics in English and Chinese over images of car factories and humanoid robots dancing in burned-out streets, makes a more dire assessment. "You taxed each truck, you taxed each tire. Midwest burnin' in your dumpster fire," the automated voice sings. (Reporting by Antoni Slodkowski and Qiaoyi Li; Editing by Edmund Klamann)

Meme after meme: China targets Donald Trump and his advisers with AI war to counter tariffs; here are some causing a sensation

China's meme war is officially in full swing -- and this time, it's powered by artificial intelligence. As trade tensions with the U.S. grow sharper, Beijing is hitting back with a high-tech twist: viral AI-generated videos and memes mocking former President Donald Trump and his advisers, including Elon Musk and JD Vance. These digital jabs aren't just about humor -- they're part of a broader propaganda strategy meant to undermine America's new wave of tariffs and challenge the White House's push to revive domestic manufacturing. One of the most widely shared clips shows Trump, Elon Musk, and Senator JD Vance assembling sneakers on a factory line. It's not just satire -- it's a dig at the U.S. administration's push for a "Manufacturing Revival Plan." As tariffs soar, China is using AI memes to highlight the irony: nearly 62% of shoes sold in America are still imported from China, according to industry data. Only 1% are made domestically. The clip has gone viral on TikTok and Chinese platforms like Weibo, mocking the idea that the U.S. could suddenly bring mass production back home. These videos tap into fears among Americans that tariffs will mean pricier goods -- especially when it comes to essentials like shoes and electronics. China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning posted a digitally altered image of a "Make America Great Again" hat with a new price tag: $77, up from $50. The caption? A jab at how tariffs will hurt American wallets. Another video shows a penguin wearing a red hat that reads "Make America Go Away," while grumbling about taxes in Mandarin. The message behind all these memes? That U.S. consumers are the ones really paying the price for tariff policies. A separate AI music video, shared by Chinese state broadcaster CGTN, titled Look What You Taxed Us Through, slammed Trump's economic approach. The lyrics claim that tariffs "killed our cheap Chinese cars" and warned that "low-income families take the hardest blow." These memes are more than just jokes. They represent a new front in the trade war, one that blends digital warfare, satire, and viral media. Chinese state-backed outlets are taking aim at America's trade stance with a blend of humor and defiance. In one older video repurposed from 1953, a revolutionary declared during the Korean War: "We will never yield. We'll fight until we completely triumph." This clip was reshared by the Chinese Foreign Ministry to remind audiences of China's long-standing resistance to foreign pressure. The Chinese Embassy in the U.S. also reposted these videos, captioning them with a defiant warning: "We don't back down." Even as China pushed back with memes and media, financial markets around the world saw a brief sigh of relief. On Thursday, Trump paused most planned tariff hikes for 90 days -- though not on China. Global markets rallied in response: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called Trump's pause "an important step towards stabilising the global economy." Still, analysts warned that uncertainty remains. Deutsche Bank noted that a 10% universal tariff could still become the biggest trade disruption in decades. Despite all the talk, manufacturing jobs haven't flooded back to the U.S. as hoped. Devlin Carter, founder of luxury footwear company SIA Collective, told NBC News that tariffs "make no sense" and hurt small businesses like his. His company still manufactures in China due to lower costs. Economist Peter Schiff added: "Nike won't build factories in the U.S. to make sneakers. That would add more cost than the 40 percent tariffs." Pepper Harward, CEO of Oka Brands, explained that the U.S. simply doesn't have the infrastructure for a shoe industry anymore: "Everybody's interested in U.S. manufacturing, but very few are committed." Chris Rogers from S&P Global predicted it could take "a couple of years at minimum" to shift supply chains back to the States. China remains openly critical. Commerce Ministry spokesperson He Yongqian denounced the tariffs as "blackmail," warning they "severely impact the stability of the global economic order." She urged the U.S. to engage in talks based on "mutual respect." Ministry official Lin Jian added: "The U.S. cause doesn't win the support of the people and will end in failure." Still, Trump doubled down. "China wants to make a deal, they just don't know how quite to go about it," he said, describing President Xi Jinping as a "proud man" who would eventually come around. But with both sides digging in and memes spreading like wildfire online, one thing is clear: this isn't just a trade war anymore. It's a meme war, and China's AI arsenal has just started firing. Why is China using memes to hit back at Trump's tariffs? To mock U.S. tariff plans and show how they hurt American buyers. What's the message behind the AI videos of Trump and Musk in factories? They highlight how unrealistic it is for the U.S. to bring back mass manufacturing.

Robots, fraught consumers star in China AI videos mocking tariffs

China's state-run media has taken to the internet with AI-generated videos, featuring dancing robots and fraught consumers, to chide U.S. President Donald Trump and tariffs they say threaten high inflation and economic distress for Americans. "'Liberation Day', you promised us the stars. But tariffs killed our cheap Chinese cars," an automated female voice sings in a video on the website of China's CGTN, a state-run English-language broadcaster, over a shot of a woman at a kitchen table staring at an empty fork. The two-minute, 42-second clip, referring to Trump's use of "Liberation Day" for the day of his tariff announcement, was captioned with a warning: "Track is AI-generated. The debt crisis? 100 percent human-made." Another video posted on the X.com page of state-run news agency Xinhua, also generated by artificial intelligence, shows a robot named TARIFF that chooses to self-destruct rather than follow its creator's orders for high tariffs that bring "trade wars and unrest". China has sharply criticised the U.S. tariffs, which have triggered the biggest stock market rout since the pandemic, and retaliated on Friday with import duties and export curbs of its own. Economists say consumers are likely to see higher prices due to the trade war and that the U.S. economy could enter a downturn, while some U.S. trade partners are putting their own levies on American products - effects that Trump has called a "disturbance". The CGTN video, which displays lyrics in English and Chinese over images of car factories and humanoid robots dancing in burned-out streets, makes a more dire assessment. "You taxed each truck, you taxed each tire. Midwest burnin' in your dumpster fire," the automated voice sings.

Viral AI video mocks idea of Americans working in factories as Trump...

An AI-generated video mocking the prospect of Americans working factory jobs has been viewed over six million times in the wake of President Trump's tariff agenda. The video -- aimed at undermining the Trump administration's promise to create US manufacturing jobs using tariffs -- depicts depressed-looking, larger-bodied "Americans" working in sweatshop-like environments set to a twangy score of traditional Chinese music. The US workers are depicted as obese, middle-aged, and dull-witted as they sit, twiddling at sewing machines, in the video shared by TikTok user Ben Lau, who captioned the AI clip "Make America great again #tariff #america." Other "Americans" in the video wear matching gray uniforms, a la Foxconn, as they solder iPhones on an assembly line in a mock-up version of actual Chinese factories. The TikTok video was reposted to X by user Damon Chen, who punctuated the insulting video with a laughing-crying emoji. His tweet was seen more than six million times, but several people in the comments took issue with the apparent insult to the tariff plan -- and the sideswipe at the dignity of factory laborers. "When manufacturing was here America was great. Why do liberals think this is demoralizing or something?," one user replied. "What exactly is your point? My mom worked in a sewing factory for 15 years, she raised us after dad left, stayed off welfare & kept food on the table & a roof over our heads. It was a good job, thankful she had it," an animated X-poster recounted. "My dad worked in an electronics factory assembling circuit boards when I was a kid on Long Island. It went away in the 1990s. The people seemed jovial and happy," one user stated. "Except if the factories are ever built here they will be staffed by robots not people," an X poster observed. "Very misleading propaganda post," an apparent Canadian responded. Many others took the video to be a direct insult from Chinese nationals directed at Americans -- causing an outpouring of criticism about the Eastern power's alleged use of child laborers. The online jibe-fest comes as the two superpowers face off in a "tariff war" -- with the Trump administration imposing a 104% tariff on Chinese goods following the Communist nation's own retaliatory tariffs. "It was a big mistake, this Chinese escalation," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC on Tuesday. "We are the 'deficit country.' So what do we lose by the Chinese raising tariffs on us? We export one-fifth to them of what they export to us. So, that is a losing hand for them," Bessent added.

China fuels trade war with AI-generated posts of Trump, Musk lacing...

Chinese social media accounts are leaning into Beijing's trade war with the US by putting out AI-generated posts of Americans clocking in for factory jobs -- including one showing President Trump and Elon Musk on the production line for fresh pairs of Nike sneakers. Videos and memes boosted by Chinese media and posted by government officials are mocking Trump's "Make America Great Again" moniker while displaying the expected higher price of goods either made in US-based facilities or imported there under punishing 125% tariffs. Trump and Musk are sitting side by side wearing blue jumpsuits and working on the Nike shoes, while Vice President JD Vance pieces together an iPhone, sporting denim and a red hat conspicuously missing its MAGA letters, according to a compilation of the AI videos from a Chinese TV station's account. Another AI-produced post from Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning displayed red MAGA hats with a "Made in China" tag -- and priced at $17 more than their previous listing. Ning, whom Chinese state media outlets have described as former Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong's "cousin," also shot back at Trump's 104% tariffs on Beijing that went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday: "We are Chinese. We are not afraid of provocations. We don't back down." Other AI-powered memes shared by Beijing Business Daily mocked Trump's imposition of tariffs on the uninhabited Heard and McDonald Islands by putting the penguins who reside there in "Make America Go Away" red baseball caps, the Daily Mail reported. Chinese government-owned media outlet CGTN also posted a music video of an AI-produced song "Look What You Taxed Us Through," after the Taylor Swift number "Look What You Made Me Do," according to the outlet. The trolling videos and memes have since been reposted and racked up millions of views across TikTok, X and other platforms -- including on ousted MSNBC host Joy Reid's Instagram account. A mega-viral post shared by TikTok user Ben Lau -- which mockingly declared "Make America Great Again" -- played traditional Chinese music and showed rows of obese Americans sweating while hunched over sewing machines stitching together shirts and brassieres or screwing together mobile phones. Trump, 78, paused all other "reciprocal" tariffs on US trading partners Wednesday for 90 days in response to massive Treasury bond market selloffs -- while keeping baseline 10% global import levies in place -- but has since threatened even higher duties on China. The president hit Beijing with 125% tariffs -- which, when coupled with another 20% "fentanyl tariff" from earlier this year, means total duties of 145% are on many imported goods from China. US markets rallied following the pause announcement by Trump, with shares of the S&P 500 and Nasdaq notching their best gains in decades on Wednesday before dipping down again on Thursday as investors grappled with the extent of the trade war with China. "We are doing really well on our TARIFF POLICY. Very exciting for America, and the World!!! It is moving along quickly," Trump posted on his Truth Social Friday morning. America buys more from China than any other nation except Mexico, even after Trump's first term trade actions moved some production to neighboring nations like Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia and India -- all of which were recently spared from higher tariff rates. Vietnam is the largest manufacturer of Nike shoes globally -- and nearly a third of all shoe imports to the US came from the nation in 2023, according to the trade group Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America, even as most footwear still comes to the US from China. Many large American companies also aren't yet announcing a shift in their production centers back home, as China remains its largest trading partner for electronics, footwear, textiles and apparel, according to the most recent data from the US International Trade Commission. Last year, the US traded $582.4 billion worth of goods with China in 2024, with $143.5 billion in exports and $438.9 billion in imports, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative, amounting to a trade deficit of $295.4 billion. China's Commerce Ministry has vowed to "fight to the end" against the new tariffs. "The countermeasures China has taken are aimed at safeguarding its sovereignty, security and development interests, and maintaining the normal international trade order. They are completely legitimate," the ministry said in a statement Thursday. "The US threat to escalate tariffs on China is a mistake on top of a mistake and once again exposes the blackmailing nature of the US. China will never accept this. If the US insists on its own way, China will fight to the end."

China Mocks Trump's Tariffs With Snarky A.I.-Generated Videos Posted All Over Social Media

One video says, 'You taxed each truck, you taxed each tire. Midwest burnin' in your Dumpster fire.' China's state-run media is mocking President Trump and his new stiff tariffs against the communist nation with artificial intelligence-generated videos featuring dancing robots and distressed American consumers. In one three-minute video titled "Liberation Day" the term Mr. Trump used when he announced global tariffs last week -- an AI female sings 'You promised us the stars, but tariffs killed our cheap Chinese cars." As the camera shows a dejected American woman sitting at a kitchen table, the voice sings, "Groceries cost a kidney, gas a lung. Your deals? Just hot air from your tongue." The video on the website of China's CGTN, a state-run English-language broadcaster, shows images of automobile production plants and, weirdly, humanoid robots dancing on fire-ravaged streets. "You taxed each truck, you taxed each tire. Midwest burnin' in your dumpster fire," the automated voice sings. Under the video posted on the station's website, it says: "For many Americans, 'Liberation Day' hailed by Trump administration will mean shrinking paychecks and rising costs. Tariffs hit, wallets quit: low-income families take the hardest blow. As the market holds its breath, the toll is already undeniable. Numbers don't lie. Neither does the cost of this so-called 'fairness.' Warning: Track is AI-generated. The debt crisis? 100 percent human-made." In another AI video posted on Xinhua News, a state-run media site, shows a robot named TARIFF and tells the story of the "psychological journey of a humanoid towards its eventual self-destruction." As the robot is brought to life, its creator asks if it knows what is. "I understand the parameters of my existence. I am T.A.R.I.F.F., Technical Artificial Robot for International Fiscal Functions," the robot says. "What is the ultimate purpose of your program?" the creator asks. "To protect the interests of the American people." The robot then runs some tests; when forecasting what moderate tariffs would do, it says the results are "positive." But the creator says, "Not good enough. Let's rev it up." When the robot forecasts the results of "aggressive" tariffs, it says "unemployment rates rising, cost of living increasing, disruption of trade." "Excellent," the creator says. By the end of the video, the robot doubts its effectiveness, saying, "I have become the beginning of a chain reaction that will harm the very people I was meant to safeguard." "If I cease to exist, there will be one less cause for suffering. My death will end the cycle," the robot says as it self-destructs in a huge fireball. In another viral AI video, this one created by a Chinese TikToker, Americans are portrayed as grossly overweight while toiling in grim, sweatshop-style factories, all set to a backdrop of traditional Chinese music. The figures appear exhausted and downtrodden -- and very fat. At the end, Mr. Trump's campaign slogan appears on the screen -- "Make America Great Again." Yet another AI video shows Mr. Trump, Vice President Vance and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, all wearing blue work overalls, working on a factory production line manufacturing Nike tennis shoes. In one more viral video, obese Americans are seen performing low-skill labor in factories, making computer chips for Tesla vehicles, constructing Apple iPhones and sewing more Nike shoes as the song "Rolling on the River" plays in the background. At the end, the words "Make America Rich Again" appear on the screen. Two days after Mr. Trump set stiff tariffs against China that amount to 145 percent levies on imports, the communist country struck back with its own measures, announcing it was raising retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods to 84 percent. Mr. Vance inflamed the situation further when he said China's economy was fueled by "peasants." That prompted a heated response from Lin Jian, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, who said: "It's both astonishing and lamentable to hear this vice president make such ignorant and disrespectful remarks." A week after imposing stiff global tariffs, Mr. Trump hit pause, announcing on Wednesday that he would pause all levies, except those on China. "These countries are calling me up, kissing my ass," he said Tuesday night at the National Republican Congressional Committee dinner in Washington. "They are dying to make a deal... 'Please, please, sir, make a deal. I'll do anything.'"