Donald Trump’s recent trade war actions are the reason behind the viral success of a vicious AI-generated video on TikTok that makes fun of regular Americans.
With more than 600,000 views and counting, the movie presents a dismal (and incredibly sarcastic) picture of what life in the United States may be like under Trump’s proposed tariffs, and let’s just say that it’s not exactly “making America great again.”
Is this the new sweatshop age or “Liberation Day”?
On April 2, Trump triumphantly announced his intention to impose hefty tariffs, up to 104%, on goods imported from nations like China.
He called it “Liberation Day” and said it would bring back American riches and employment. However, China refused to accept it. The internet is reacting to their retaliatory tariffs with memes, AI caricatures, and a lot of side-eyes.
Completely dismal factory mode
Among the most talked-about responses? A TikTok video posted by user @axiang67 appears to have been created by ChatGPT’s evil twin.
The video shows a horde of obese, sad Americans working in a gloomy factory, making garments. Later, we observe people with deadpan expressions constructing iPhones. With a melancholic spin on Trump’s catchphrase, “Make America Great Again,” the video comes to a close.
Shadowy? Indeed. Virus-like? Oh, I see.
Some spectators chuckled.
“Wow. One user said, “Wonderful video.”
Some weren’t as amused:
“Aren’t the majority of those tasks already handled by robots?”
“This isn’t going to occur,” a different person countered.
The most scathing responses, however, came from Americans:
“Stolen… no mobility scooters,” a Reddit member posted.
“Be bold and assume that when this day comes, anyone can afford those.”
Right-wingers are torn.
It is ironic that conservative perspectives are unable to distinguish between the sweatshop myth and reality. It’s a lovely return to hard work and “real jobs,” according to some. It feels more like a Black Mirror episode, according to others.
In one image, a sobbing finance dude is seen operating a sock machine while a massive Trump portrait watches over him. The caption reads, “Make the sock.”
(One of the most unexpected sentences of 2025.)
The American manufacturing sector isn’t exactly in ruins, even with the AI meme war.
America’s manufacturing industry is actually the second largest in the world, producing everything from electronics to aeroplanes. The United States hasn’t really become a massive Etsy sweatshop yet, even though we have outsourced a lot of inexpensive labour abroad.
Nevertheless, detractors caution that Trump’s tariff war may backfire – severely — by increasing consumer costs, causing job losses, and forcing Americans with lower incomes into poorer circumstances while billionaires profit from the mayhem.
For instance, Scott Bessent, the former head of a hedge fund and the current Treasury Secretary, has really proposed that federal employees who were put off during the shake-up could like making widgets in these fictitious new American factories. Because nothing embodies the American DreamTM more than working as a factory drone.
People who support Trump are celebrating the return of “Made in the USA,” while others are posing a more challenging query: At what cost? If this Chinese film that went viral is any guide, the world is observing—and mocking—America’s ambitious plan for reindustrialization.
What if the future is characterised by AI memes, depressing workers, and production lines that undermine democracy? If nothing else, your iPhone won’t display “Made in China.”
