Fact Check: Did Trump share an AI video showing him hitting Mark Carney with a hockey stick?

WASHINGTON, DC: A viral post claims that President Donald Trump shared an AI-generated video showing him hitting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney with a hockey stick. The video has gained attention as tensions between Trump and Carney continue over US-Canada trade. But did Trump actually share the video? Let’s fact-check the viral claim.

Claim: Trump shares an AI-generated video showing him attacking Mark Carney

The video opens with a cartoon of Trump wearing a blue, white, and red hockey jersey marked “TRUMP 45.” He stands over a figure resembling Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who wears a red-and-white Canada jersey with a maple leaf. A speech bubble says, “GET UP, GOVERNOR.”

Trump then hits Carney with his body and hockey stick, knocking him onto the ice. Trump then stands over Carney and pokes him with the stick while Carney lies on the ice, appearing to be in pain. 

The post also appeared amid ongoing US-Canada trade tensions and ahead of Canada’s planned retaliatory tariffs.

The unverified video quickly gained traction, receiving more than 1 million views and 2,000 comments within a few hours. The video also gained attention because Trump has previously shared elaborate AI-generated hockey videos. For example, after Canada’s 2026 Olympic gold medal win, he shared an AI-generated video showing himself in a suit checking and punching Canadian hockey players.

The video drew strong reactions online. One user wrote, “Sorry, Canadian friends. We have a mental patient in the WH currently. This is just baffling to see, guys. What hell are we living in? My gawd.”

Another user asked, “Did trump really post this?” A third user commented, “This seems about right. If he can’t get his way by cheating or stealing, his people resort to animalistic violence.”

Fact Check: False, Trump did not post the video

The claim is false. Trump did not post the animated video showing him hitting Mark Carney on Truth Social. The 15-second video is a later animation created with Grok from the original image or a similar image.

The video includes the label “Animated by Grok” and uses a simulated @realDonaldTrump post header with a timestamp and engagement numbers. This makes the video look like an official Trump post. However, other users created and shared the animation. Trump himself did not post the video.

Trump’s use of the term “governor” for Carney is not new. He began using the term around January when he called Carney “Governor Carney” while discussing Canada’s efforts to build closer trade and investment ties with China. Trump again called Carney the “Governor of Canada” in March in a Truth Social post about protecting the Great Lakes from invasive Asian carp.

Trump has also used the same term for former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. After returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump referred to Trudeau as “Governor Trudeau.”

The latest post also came as US-Canada trade tensions continued. Trump criticized the Canadian dollar’s exchange rate with the US dollar, calling the imbalance “unacceptable” and saying it had continued for years. He did not explain what action he planned to take.