In March 2025, a false rumor suggested President Trump wanted to rename Washington D.C. to the “District of America,” supported by a fake audio recording. The voice, created using AI, mimicked Trump but was identified as inauthentic. The user responsible for the recording has since deactivated their TikTok account, confirming misinformation spread over various social media platforms.
In March 2025, a rumor emerged suggesting that U.S. President Donald Trump intended to rename the District of Columbia to the “District of America.” This claim coincided with Trump’s prior decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, further fueling speculation across social media platforms such as Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and X.
The rumor was propagated in conjunction with a purported audio recording of Trump making the remark, but subsequent investigations revealed that the recording was artificially generated using AI technology. While the voice imitated Trump, subtle differences in tone and inflection indicated its inauthenticity. The recording depicted a scenario where Trump expressed disdain for Washington, D.C., stating it had “nothing to do with Colombia” and announcing a name change to the District of America.
The user behind the false audio, known as @whmole on TikTok, seemed to have deactivated their account, eliminating access to their videos and direct messages. Snopes verified that this account was associated with several fake, AI-generated audio clips of Trump, affirming its role in disseminating misinformation. Archived versions of the account were unavailable, and TikTok is investigating the status of the user’s deactivated page.
Additional TikTok videos featuring the same audio showed the watermark for @whmole, confirming their authorship. A caption in one such video suggested it caught Trump making the surprising remarks on a hot mic. Other recordings linked to the user included nonsensical statements attributed to Trump, further illustrating the extent of the misinformation being circulated.
The claims regarding President Trump’s intention to rename the District of Columbia to the “District of America” stemmed from a fabricated audio recording that was debunked by thorough investigation. The audio was found to be generated by an AI tool and lacked any genuine evidence of such intentions from Trump. This incident serves as a reminder of the prevalence of misinformation on social media platforms and the need for vigilance in discerning the authenticity of shared content.
Original Source: www.snopes.com
