In a satirical turn to rising tensions between the US and China, Chinese social media users — backed by state media and government officials — are ridiculing former US President Donald Trump’s tariff policy through AI-generated videos and viral memes. The content, now widely circulated online, lampoons Trump’s economic strategies and portrays a not-so-distant future where Americans, ironically, return to the very shop floors they once outsourced.
One of the most widely shared videos, re-posted by Hong Kong-based PhoenixTV, shows a cartoonish version of Trump and Elon Musk laboring on a Nike sneaker production line. Another spoof places Vice President JD Vance in a mock iPhone assembly plant, dressed in denim and a red cap — notably missing the MAGA slogan, seen as a direct jab.
The memes strike at the heart of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” rhetoric, suggesting that his own policies might force the US to re-industrialize. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning chimed in, posting a meme claiming that MAGA hats now cost over 50% more, thanks to C. Chinese embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu also reposted a meme showing the price surge in MAGA merchandise, mocking the irony of the situation.
WATCH THE VIRAL VIDEO:
This AI-generated video has gone viral on social media, portraying scenes of Americans working hard in factories. It imagines what the U.S. might look like under Trump’s so-called “reindustrialization” gambit. pic.twitter.com/NoRpz2yR1K
— 鳳凰衛視PhoenixTV (@PhoenixTVHK) April 10, 2025
Adding to the ridicule, some AI-generated content features exaggerated caricatures of overweight Americans assembling Tesla products — another swipe at Trump’s push to revive domestic manufacturing.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has moved to exempt certain consumer electronics from its aggressive import tariffs. A recent notice from the US Customs and Border Protection office excluded smartphones, laptops, memory chips, and other critical items from the sweeping levies announced earlier. These exemptions are expected to provide relief to major tech companies including Apple, Nvidia, and Dell — whose products are largely made in China.
Still, China struck back with retaliatory tariffs of 125% on American goods, underlining the escalation of a trade war that continues to send ripples through global markets. Senior RAND researcher Gerard DiPippo noted that the exemptions cover over 20% of Chinese imports, which could soften the blow to US companies but not the broader economic standoff.
While the two superpowers dig into their positions, the meme war may be the only front where things are getting a little too real — and ironically, a little too funny.
