Fact Check: Is the Viral Clip of Don Jr Saying the U.S. ‘Should Have Sent Weapons to Russia’ Real?
(Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
A viral audio clip circulating on social media, allegedly featuring Donald Trump Jr. advocating for the United States to “send weapons to Russia” in its war against Ukraine, has been confirmed as fake. The widely shared audio, which surfaced on X (formerly Twitter), purportedly captures Trump Jr. discussing the conflict with an unidentified speaker.
In the clip, the speaker comments, “But they forget that Ukraine isn’t the kind of country you go all in on — this is ridiculous.” Trump Jr. allegedly responds: “I honestly can’t imagine anyone in their right mind picking Ukraine as an ally when Russia is the other option. I mean, just think about it: Massive nuclear power loaded with natural resources everyone needs, literally the biggest country on the planet.
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And haha, there’s Ukraine, which has Chernobyl, and some radiation-proof dogs. Meanwhile, the Biden administration is like, ‘Oh, yeah, this is definitely the ally we need. Let’s dump all our money into them.’ Honestly, if anything, the US should have been sending weapons to Russia.” The clip quickly went viral, gaining traction among various accounts, including one associated with the Democratic National Committee, told Mediaite.
A DNC-affiliated account, FactPost, shared the audio, expressing disbelief: “What the f**k. Donald Trump Jr.: ‘I honestly can’t imagine anyone in their right mind picking Ukraine as an ally… Honestly, the US should have been sending weapons to Russia. Can we send him?’”
However, doubts about the clip’s authenticity emerged soon after its release. The audio was allegedly from Trump Jr.’s podcast, Triggered with Donald Trump Jr., which was supposed to be available on Spotify. The issue? The referenced episode had not yet been released on the platform when the video began circulating.
Trump Jr.’s team quickly intervened to debunk the claims. Drew Lynch, executive producer of Triggered with Donald Trump Jr., clarified the situation, stating, “This audio is absolutely, 100% fake.”
Andrew Surabian, a spokesperson for Trump Jr., also addressed the misinformation on X, stating, “This is 100% fake AI-generated audio, but I’m sure that won’t stop anti-Trump resistance accounts from continuing to dishonestly spread it.” Trump Jr. himself retweeted the post.
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The fabricated clip surfaces at a time when former President Donald Trump has been making controversial remarks about the Ukraine war. Recently, Trump labeled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator” and claimed Zelensky shouldn’t have “started” the war, despite Russia’s 2022 invasion.
Despite being debunked, the AI-generated clip continues to circulate in certain online spaces, underscoring the growing challenges of misinformation in the digital era.
