A video that has gone viral on social media claims to show the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, expressing regret over inviting former U.S. President Donald Trump to Qatar during his May 2025 visit to the Middle East.
In the clip, the Emir allegedly refers to Trump as a “robber” who seeks luxury items and media attention. However, a thorough fact-check reveals that the video is a deepfake and the claims made are entirely false.
The misleading video has been widely circulated across platforms, with users alleging that the Emir openly criticized Trump after his visit to countries including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. However, no credible news outlets have reported such statements by the Qatari leader.
This video of the Emir of Qatar saying that he regrets inviting President Trump to the Middle East is so obviously a deepfake and not real. https://t.co/8J40dtYd69
— Shayan Sardarizadeh (@Shayan86) May 20, 2025
Upon investigation, frames from the viral video were reverse-searched and found to match footage from a 2017 CBS ‘60 Minutes’ interview.
In that original interview, Sheikh Tamim discussed Qatar’s diplomatic crisis with neighboring Gulf countries. Nowhere in the authentic footage does he mention Trump or express regret about inviting him to Qatar.
A closer visual inspection of the viral video reveals subtle inconsistencies — particularly around the eyes and mouth — that suggest AI manipulation. Audio analysis using tools such as Hive Moderation, Deepfake-O-Meter, and Resemble AI further confirmed that the voiceover is AI-generated and not authentic.
The speech pattern, tone, and delivery do not match Tamim’s natural speaking style from verified past interviews.
These findings collectively debunk the claim. The viral clip is not a recent statement by the Emir, but rather a digitally altered version of a nearly eight-year-old interview, overlaid with fabricated audio. It is an example of how deepfake technology is being misused to spread disinformation in politically sensitive contexts.
The video claiming the Emir of Qatar insulted Donald Trump during or after his 2025 visit is completely false. It is a deepfake created using old footage and synthetic audio. Viewers are advised to rely on verified sources before sharing such content.
