President Donald Trump is facing fresh criticism after sharing disturbing footage of a young man being attacked by a tiger, then posting an AI-generated video showing himself playfully wrestling with the animal just days after the real-life tragedy.
The unusual posts appeared on Trump’s Truth Social account Tuesday, October 13, following the death of 23-year-old William Chapman at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster, England.
Chapman died Saturday after entering an enclosure housing a Siberian tiger named Altai. His death was captured on video, and footage of the attack quickly spread across social media.
But as Chapman’s grieving family pleaded with people to stop circulating the disturbing images, Trump shared one of the videos with his approximately 13 million Truth Social followers.
“Don’t ever mess with nature!” the 80-year-old president wrote, signing the message “President DJT.”
The clip showed the tiger attacking Chapman as the young man attempted to protect himself. Although the footage did not show the moment of his death, it captured part of the fatal encounter.
Trump offered no additional comment about Chapman or his family in the post.
Then came an even more unusual development.
Later Tuesday night, the president shared an AI-generated video depicting himself confronting a tiger in a fictional encounter.
The clip shows Trump, dressed in a dark suit and red tie, imitating a finger-pointing gesture similar to one Chapman made during the real attack.
Instead of being injured, the computer-generated version of Trump appears to overpower the animal before chasing it and eventually embracing it.
The sequence plays to the upbeat song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” turning the dangerous encounter into a lighthearted fantasy.
The video contained no accompanying explanation from the president.
The posts quickly attracted attention, with critics questioning the decision to circulate footage connected to a fatal attack and then share an apparently humorous recreation.
The timing was particularly sensitive because Chapman’s family had already expressed distress over the widespread circulation of images showing their son’s final moments.
In a statement released through South Yorkshire Police, the family described Chapman as a loving young man who had struggled with serious mental health difficulties for several years.
“William was a bright, warm and engaging young man whom his family dearly loved – and William loved them back,” the statement read.
His relatives explained that Chapman had been prescribed strong medication for a significant mental illness, although they emphasized that a coroner would need to determine whether his health played any role in the tragedy.
The family also issued an emotional appeal for privacy.
“The publication and circulation of deeply offensive media content is causing them severe distress at an exceptionally vulnerable time,” they said.
The statement did not specifically name Trump, and the family has not publicly confirmed whether it has seen his AI-generated video.
Chapman’s death occurred on October 10 after he entered the tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park while visiting alone.
Emergency services were called shortly after 1:30 p.m., but despite efforts to save him, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses reported seeing Chapman near the tiger before the animal attacked.
Authorities are now investigating how he managed to enter the restricted area and what circumstances led to the fatal encounter.
Chapman had previously worked as a child actor, appearing in British television productions including May Contain Nuts and the BBC’s True Stories series.
He also attended the Jackie Palmer Stage School, which remembered him as a talented and well-liked former student.
The school said it was deeply saddened by his death and recalled watching him develop as both a person and performer.
Meanwhile, Yorkshire Wildlife Park has remained closed as officials cooperate with investigators.
Doncaster City Council has launched a health and safety investigation, while an inquest is scheduled to open at Doncaster Coroner’s Court.
Park officials have also confirmed that Altai, the Siberian tiger involved in the incident, will not be euthanized.
The animal’s actions are being examined in the context of a person entering its enclosure, rather than treated as evidence that the tiger poses an unusual threat.
The controversy surrounding Trump’s posts comes amid his increasingly frequent use of artificial intelligence-generated images and videos on social media.
The president has repeatedly shared digitally manipulated content featuring himself in exaggerated or fictional scenarios, often generating attention and criticism online.
However, the latest video stands apart because of its apparent connection to a recent death and the family’s explicit request that disturbing material not be circulated.
Critics have characterized the post as insensitive, while the White House had not publicly provided an explanation for the president’s decision to share it.
There is also no confirmed statement establishing that Trump intended to mock Chapman personally, although the resemblance between the real footage and the fictional recreation has prompted that interpretation.
For Chapman’s family, the central concern remains the loss of their son and the emotional toll of seeing his death repeatedly circulated online.
As investigators work to establish exactly what happened at the wildlife park, the family’s request is simple: Allow them to grieve without turning William’s final moments into entertainment.
And with the president’s unusual posts now drawing international attention, that plea has become part of a much larger controversy over how public figures use disturbing footage and AI-generated content on social media.
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