China mocks Trump's tariffs with AI video of US sweatshop workers: 'Make America Great Again'

Source: The Independent

Wednesday 09 April 2025 16:24 BST


An AI-generated video mocking downcast American workers in a post-tariffs world has been circulating on Chinese and U.S. social media. The video shows overweight employees in a textiles factory, appearing exhausted and depressed as they stitch clothing on sewing machines.

Depicting the type of clothing manufacturing jobs that have been outsourced overseas in the past decades, the 32-second clip paints a dystopian picture of what the U.S. working world might look like as a result of Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs. As the clip fades out with traditional Chinese music playing in the background, the president’s ‘Make America Great Again’ campaign slogan pops up on the screen. The origin of the clip is not clear but it was published on Chinese TikTok accounts.

Viewed millions of times on social media already, the video comes as Trump’s global trade war continues to escalate. On Wednesday China announced it was raising retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods to 84 percent, hours after Trump imposed 104 percent levies on Chinese imports.

The Chinese foreign ministry has vowed its country would “fight till the end” and has accused America of “typical unilateralism and protectionist economic bullying”.

Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ai-video-trump-tariffs-china-tiktok-b2730130.html