AI-generated images of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk working in factories have gone viral on Chinese social media sites.
The trend, prompted by the rapidly escalating tariff battle between the U.S. and China, was particularly popular on TikTok, where users shared pictures of the pair side-by-side in a manufacturing warehouse in mockery of Trump's attempt to bring jobs back to the U.S.
Why It Matters
With Trump rolling back on his reciprocal tariffs for most of the world, China remains as the biggest opponent in the trade war. China currently faces a 145 percent tax on exports to the U.S., while the U.S. faces a 125 percent rate in return. A significant amount of business in the U.S., especially the tech sector, relies on trade from China, making the relationship between the two countries critical.
What To Know
The Trump administration has repeatedly said that the purpose of the tariffs is to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S., as many supply chains for current goods rely on Chinese labor.
"There is a category of D.C. insider who wants to fight an actual war with China but also wants China to manufacture much of our critical supply," Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday. "This is insane. President Trump wants peace, but also wants fair trade and more self-reliance for the American economy."
These comments have become the source of mockery on Chinese social media, with users asking artificial intelligence to generate pictures and video of Trump and his political allies working in factories.
The Chinese made another American re-industrialisation meme 😂pic.twitter.com/IJoMZmAxHA
— ADAM (@AdameMedia) April 10, 2025
One AI-generated video, which originated on TikTok and received 17 million views on Musk-owned X, formerly Twitter, shows dozens of American workers in sweatshops for well-known brands, like Nike and Musk's Tesla, with Trump slogans flying in the background.
Another video, which has received 6.7 million views across TikTok and X, styled itself as a Trump campaign ad, showing off Americans working in factories on complex technology like smartphones before ending with the slogan: "Make America Great Again."
— ADAM (@AdameMedia) April 8, 2025The Chinese are trolling America with memes on American re-industrialization.
The music. 😂
One clip featured Trump, Musk and Vance standing on a Nike production line, manufacturing the popular shoe brand by hand in an American factory.
What People Are Saying
Chinese President Xi Jinping, during a trip to Europe on Friday, said the current trade situation presented "multiple risks and challenges" and that "Trade wars are not good, nobody wins."
The Chinese Embassy in the U.S., in a statement released on Friday: "Even if the United States imposes even higher tariffs, it would no longer make economic sense and ultimately go down as a joke in world economic history.
"Given that it's already impossible for the Chinese market to accept US imports at the current tariff level, if the United States imposes further tariffs on Chinese products, China will ignore it.
"However, should the United States persist in substantially undermining China's interests, China will take firm countermeasures and fight to the end."
What Happens Next
Trump has not given any indication that he plans to roll back the tariff level on China. Chinese leadership has also shown it is willing to match any escalation in the dispute.
