Trump Endorsing NPP Leader is A Manipulated Video with Voice Cloning! Find Out The Truth...
In recent times, advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and voice cloning technology have raised concerns about the spread of misinformation, especially during election seasons. A video has been circulating on social media claiming that former US President and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump expressed his support for Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the National People's Power Party leader in Sri Lanka.
Given the potential impact such statements could have on public perception and electoral integrity, we conducted a thorough fact-check to verify the authenticity of this video and the claims surrounding it.
Social Media Posts :
This video purportedly claims that Donald Trump made the below statement endorsing NPP candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
"Sri Lankan friends and family, I'm your next president for USA 2024. I also want you guys to support Anura 2024 ,become president of Sri Lanka, NPP, Jayawewa; only Anura Kumara can recover Sri Lanka; he is a great honest man with humanity. I'm a huge Anura fan; you better vote for him. NPP Jayawewa"
The same video has been widely circulated via WhatsApp, and we even noticed that the video was making rounds on social media.
We conducted a fact-check to verify the accuracy of this video
Fact-Check :
We investigated this claim through international mainstream media channels, but we couldn't find any official sources to verify such news.
As a result, we conducted a reverse image search on keyframes of the viral video. During this process, we identified a video featuring Donald Trump that closely matched the background of the video. This video, available on NBC's international news website, dates back to 2017 and shows Trump in a discussion, but at no point does he mention Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
In fact, during this particular interview, Trump, who was the US President at the time, talks about being ready to dismiss FBI Director James Comey, disregarding the recommendations of the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General.
Therefore, it's evident that a voice-cloned version of the above video was used to make the fake endorsement related to Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
The same Video Has Been Used for voice-cloned versions previously, as well
Manipulated versions of the same Trump using voice cloning technology have gone viral previously as well. Here is one such instance, which was debunked by AFP Pakistan, where a false narrative went viral, implying that Donald had requested the release of Imran Khan of Pakistan.
AI and Voice Cloning Tools:
AI technology can clone a person's voice and generate statements similar to the original speaker. Voice cloning, powered by AI, can significantly impact elections by spreading false information. Malicious actors can create deep, fake audio of political candidates, falsely attributing controversial or damaging statements to them.
Such methods can mislead voters, damage reputations, and manipulate public opinion. This erodes trust in the democratic process and causes confusion among voters.
International surveys show that this year, as many countries face elections, AI is being used to spread disinformation by cloning the voices of political leaders and creating fake statements, which lead to public discord.
A UK-US non-profit organization identified six popular publicly accessible AI voice-cloning tools and expressed concern over their misuse. Reports show the significant impact that voice cloning can have on elections. You can access those international reports [here], [here], and [here].
Read the same fact check in Sinhala here.
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Conclusion :
Our investigation reveals that the viral video suggesting former US President Donald Trump voiced support for Anura Kumara Dissanayake was manipulated using AI voice cloning. This video is artificially created, and Trump made no such statement.
