Doctored video falsely shows Trump hitting his head during White House event

WASHINGTON: A viral video shared across social media platforms falsely claimed to show United States President Donald Trump falling asleep and striking his head on the Resolute Desk during a White House event, but a fact-check by iVerify Pakistan found the clip had been manipulated.

According to a fact-check done by The Express Tribune, the altered footage circulated on Friday after Trump held a healthcare affordability event in the Oval Office on Thursday. During that event, he announced an agreement with pharmaceutical company Regeneron aimed at lowering drug prices. He later answered reporters’ questions on several issues, including the dismissal of former Navy Secretary John Phelan, the timeline for the Iran conflict, and the upcoming state visit by King Charles.

The fact-check noted that scrutiny of Trump’s health has persisted since last year, with attention intensifying in late November 2025 after a New York Times report said he had significantly cut back on public appearances, domestic travel and working hours compared with his first term. He is due to turn 80 in June.

How the clip spread

iVerify Pakistan reported that an X account known for posting anti-Trump visuals shared the video with the caption: Breaking: President Trump dozes off during live Healthcare Affordability Event - banging his head on the resolute desk with such force, that he knocks himself out cold.

The post drew 3.3 million views. The same clip, carrying the same caption, was also posted on Instagram by a user described in the fact-check as having a history of sharing AI-generated content, where it received 264,000 views. The account also shared it on Facebook, where it gained 99,000 views. A podcaster also posted the clip on X with the caption: Is Trump okay? That post received 120,000 views, while other users shared the same footage widely on the platform.

What the fact-check found

In its review, iVerify Pakistan said the video contained several irregularities. No one in the room appeared to react when Trump was supposedly shown hitting his head, nor did anyone look in his direction, which it described as unusual given that he is the US president.

The fact-check also said there was a delay between the moment his head appeared to touch the desk and the sound effect. It further noted that his head seemed to come down slowly rather than with force, making the loud thud inconsistent with the movement shown. In addition, it identified visual distortion in Trump’s left hand at around the four-second mark as it moved away from the armrest.

To verify the footage, the fact-check traced it through a reverse image search to the original video uploaded on the official White House YouTube channel on Thursday under the title: President Trump Participates in a Health Care Affordability Event.

The viral segment came from the 27:03–27:23 portion of the full 1:07:07 video, during remarks by Chris Klomp, director of the Centre for Medicare. A review of the original recording found that while the setting and Klomp’s remarks matched the viral clip, Trump did not fall asleep on the desk, hit his head or lose consciousness at any point.

iVerify Pakistan also said AI detection tools suggested manipulation. SORA AI video detector assessed the clip as having a 66.67 per cent probability of AI generation, while Deepware AI indicated a 52pc likelihood of manipulation.

The fact-check added that a keyword search found no credible US or international media reports saying Trump had fallen unconscious or struck his head during the event. It also cited a Reuters report on the April 23, 2026 White House healthcare affordability meeting, which described discussions on reducing healthcare costs and improving affordability but made no mention of any such incident involving the president.

According to the fact-check, some outlets and social media users did say Trump appeared to doze off at times while others were speaking, but no credible source reported that he hit his head on the desk.

iVerify Pakistan concluded that the claim was false and that the viral video had been doctored.