Donald Trump has sparked outrage after sharing the distressing footage of a 23-year-old man with mental illness being fatally mauled by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, captioned "Don't ever mess with nature!" This followed hours later by an AI-generated video of himself taming a tiger. The posts have been condemned as disrespectful to the victim, William Chapman, and his grieving family, who have urged people to stop sharing harrowing content of the attack. Vedika Bahl goes through it.
The 23-second video, posted to Truth Social without a caption, shows Trump wrestling with a tiger before appearing to befriend it, set to the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." It begins with Trump pointing his finger at the animal and ends with him playfully hugging it. The pointing gesture bears a resemblance to one made by the victim in the real footage.
Earlier, Trump had reposted the distressing real-life footage of the fatal attack, captioning it: "Don't ever mess with nature! President DJT." This post was also amplified by the White House’s Rapid Response 47 account on X.
Trump also shared other animal-related videos in his posting spree, including a compilation of animal attacks featuring some AI-generated clips, and another portraying him as a lion while comparing Democratic politicians to jackals.
The victim was identified as 23-year-old William Chapman, who died after entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday. His family described him as “bright, warm and engaging” and said he had lived with severe mental illness for several years, and was subsequently prescribed strong medication, and that the coroner will decide if this had a role in his death.
The family has also urged people to refrain from sharing photos and videos: "“The family are utterly devastated by their loss and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened. The publication and circulation of deeply offensive media content is causing them severe distress at an exceptionally vulnerable time. We ask people to stop doing this."
Trump’s posts have prompted widespread criticism online, with users describing them as “sick” and “disgusting”. Critics said his caption was insensitive towards the family as they grieve the loss of their son and the circulation of his final moments.
British broadcaster Piers Morgan called on Trump to delete the post, describing it as “appallingly tasteless”. Others suggested the president was seeking to distract attention from domestic political issues, although there is no evidence establishing his motive for sharing the videos.
One of the strongest rebukes came from Oliver Coppard, the mayor of South Yorkshire. He said the Chapman family had contacted his office about the distress caused by images and videos circulating online. He accused Trump of using AI to mock the tragedy and the family’s suffering for little more than a “cheap laugh on social media”.