Rumors in March 2025 falsely claimed President Trump sought to rename Washington D.C. to the “District of America.” These claims were based on a fabricated AI-generated audio recording. Investigations confirmed the inauthenticity of the recording and traced it back to a now-inaccessible TikTok account.
In March 2025, a rumor emerged alleging that President Donald Trump proposed renaming Washington D.C. the “District of America.” This speculation followed his earlier executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Various social media platforms, including Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and X, disseminated this claim alongside an audio recording purportedly capturing Trump’s voice articulating this desire.
However, the alleged audio recording was fabricated using artificial intelligence, presenting a voice that superficially resembled Trump’s but held notable discrepancies in tone and delivery. This recording showcased a fictitious scenario in which he mistakenly equated “Columbia” in the District of Columbia with Colombia, stating, “It has nothing to do with Colombia. It’s nowhere near Colombia.” The origin of this audio clip traced back to a user known as @whmole on TikTok, whose account has since become inaccessible.
Before the account’s removal, Snopes validated it as the source of multiple AI-generated audio videos of Trump, similar to the disputed recording. Furthermore, another TikTok video containing the same audio also bore a watermark from @whmole, indicating it was the creator. The video’s on-screen text suggested Trump was “caught on a hot mic” discussing plans to eliminate Washington D.C.
Listeners are cautioned about other audio clips linked to the @whmole account that inaccurately portray Trump making peculiar statements, such as confusing his advisor Elon Musk with “Isaac Neutron” and suggesting the elimination of daylight saving time.
In conclusion, the claim that President Trump wished to rename Washington D.C. the “District of America” is based on a fictitious audio recording created with artificial intelligence. This misleading information circulated on various social media platforms, but investigations revealed no credible evidence supporting this assertion. Caution is advised when encountering similar fabricated content online.
Original Source: www.snopes.com
