Fact Check: Is the video showing Trump announcing Netanyahu’s death real?
WASHINGTON, DC: A video has been going viral on social media platforms, claiming to show President Donald Trump announcing the death of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The video spread as the conflict in the Middle East continues to escalate with the blockade of the Hormuz Strait. Let us analyze the video and find out the truth.
Claim: Donald Trump announced the death of Benjamin Netanyahu
The viral video shows Trump delivering a speech with a US flag in the background while announcing the death of the Israeli leader and his brother, who were killed in an Iranian attack.
“You remain calm and cool about his death,” Trump is heard saying in the video.
The video that surfaced on Instagram as the US-Israel war with Iran is in its fourth week. The video has garnered hundreds of thousands of views, along with thousands of likes.
Fact Check: False, the video is fabricated
The video, however, is fabricated, and it was found that the audio was generated using AI. A reverse image search for the key frames of the video reveals that the original video captured Trump attending a bill-signing ceremony on June 12, 2025.
The clip of Trump’s speech matches a livestream video on Whitehouse.gov and the White House’s YouTube channel from June 12, 2025, titled 'President Trump Participates in a Bill Signing Ceremony.'
Moreover, if the claim were true, it would mark a major setback in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and would have been widely covered by credible news media outlets.
Several such claims about the death of Netanyahu have been made before, which were all debunked by fact-checking outlets.
Donald Trump rejects Netanyahu's proposal
The video surfaced as Trump has reportedly rejected a proposal by Netanyahu to encourage Iranian citizens to stage mass protests, citing fears that such a move would put civilian lives at risk.
The reported exchange underscores emerging differences between Washington and Tel Aviv over strategy in Iran, even as both sides continue to coordinate closely on military objectives following recent escalations in the region.
“Why the hell should we tell people to take to the streets when they’ll just get mowed down,” Trump said to Netanyahu during their call, according to a US official briefed on the conversation.
The Axios report noted that while both leaders share similar military goals, they differ significantly on the question of regime change and the extent of instability acceptable to achieve it.
