Fact Check: Trump's Viral AI-Generated Audio About Epstein Files Exposes Growing Political Disinformation Crisis

Trump had consistently opposed the release of the Epstein documents for several months

Researchers reported Friday that left-leaning social media users have been circulating an artificial intelligence-generated audio recording allegedly depicting President Donald Trump angrily demanding US officials block the release of documents connected to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The controversy surrounding the so-called Epstein files has intensified in recent weeks, dominating US political discourse and creating tension between lawmakers and Trump, who previously maintained a friendship with the late convicted sex offender.

A synthetic voice mimicking Trump's speech patterns can be heard in the widely shared clip stating, "Not releasing the Epstein files. If I go down, I will bring all of you down with me." Social media posts falsely claimed this recording captured the president scolding his cabinet members.

The recording gained significant traction across platforms including Instagram and TikTok, with numerous posts accumulating millions of views and thousands of comments.

NewsGuard, a disinformation monitoring organization, confirmed the audio was "an AI-generated fake."

According to NewsGuard, the clip was initially shared by a liberal TikTok user and originated from a video showing indicators it was created using Sora, OpenAI's text-to-video technology. The recording subsequently appeared in multiple other videos without Sora's identifying watermarks, thereby "obscuring its AI origins."

Additionally, liberal social media users have incorrectly attributed a quote to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt regarding recently released Epstein emails, claiming she said they do not reference the president.

"It is not President Trump who is in the Epstein emails. It is another person with the same name," stated a post on X falsely attributing this comment to Leavitt. The post garnered over four million views and gained additional traction on Instagram.

Responding to one such claim on X insisting Leavitt had made this statement, an official White House account replied: "No ... she didn't. You are a weapons grade moron."

This misrepresentation of facts by left-wing sources highlights how disinformation is disseminated across the political spectrum in a deeply divided nation. These falsehoods contribute to information disorder on increasingly unmoderated social media platforms, making it more challenging for average users to distinguish between fact and fiction.

Trump has maintained he has "nothing to do" with his former close associate Epstein.

On Wednesday, the Republican president signed legislation requiring his administration to release government documents concerning Epstein.

Despite resisting the release of these files for months, Trump unexpectedly reversed his position this week, facilitating the swift passage of the legislation through Congress.

Insiders caution that even with the president's approval, his administration might employ redactions, procedural delays, or ongoing federal investigations to prevent sensitive information from becoming public.

Epstein, a wealthy financier, maintained connections in elite circles for years, developing close relationships with business leaders, politicians, academics, and celebrities, to whom he allegedly trafficked girls and young women for sexual purposes.

His arrest on trafficking charges in 2019 sparked widespread outrage and demands for a complete disclosure of his network and financial activities.