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Clip shows Trump taunting ex-rival, not Pakistan

Clip shows Trump taunting ex-rival, not Pakistan

AFP19-05-2025
reads Indonesian-language text on a SnackVideo post shared May 11, 2025.
The black-and-white clip depicts the US leader at a podium acting as if extremely thirsty.
"I need water, help me. I need water," he says.
Image
Screenshot of false post, taken on May 19, 2025
India accuses its arch-rival neighbour of backing the assault but Pakistan denies the charges and has called for an independent investigation.
Intense tit-for-tat drone, missile and artillery exchanges followed leaving 70 people dead before both sides agreed to a ceasefire that Trump unexpectedly announced on May 10
Similar posts on SnackVideo also alleged Trump has been filmed taunting Pakistan, generating angry comments from users who appeared misled by the claim.
"Sick people get elected president," one wrote. Another commented: "The worst president of all time."
But a combination of reverse image and keyword searches on Google found the clip taken from an old Trump campaign speech during his first presidential run posted by American media outlet NBC on February 27, 2016 (archived link).
The longer video shows Trump was attacking Marco Rubio, at the time one of his rivals for the Republican nomination.
"When they put Marco on to refute president Obama's speech, you remember that catastrophe," Trump says, referring to an awkward moment when Rubio paused to drink water during his response to former president Barack Obama's 2013 State of the Union address (archived link).
Image
Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and NBC's video
Broadcaster CNN also reported the speech (archived link).
Although both had previously clashed -- sometimes in bitter and vulgar terms -- Trump has since appointed Rubio his secretary of state following his reelection (archived link).
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