Jeremy Clarkson has condemned Donald Trump for sharing AI-generated footage of himself chasing and wrestling the tiger that killed a young man in Doncaster last weekend. The former Top Gear presenter used his newspaper column to brand the US President's post "sick".
William Chapman, 24, died after entering the tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. His family later revealed he had a "significant mental illness". Trump uploaded footage of William to his Truth Social platform with the caption: "Don't ever mess with nature."
Family distress over AI clip
Trump also shared an AI clip set to the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight, depicting him overpowering the tiger. The victim's family released a statement urging people to stop circulating such material, saying it was causing "severe distress at an exceptionally vulnerable time".
Clarkson, 66, wrote: "When I heard that someone had been mauled to death at a zoo in Doncaster, my first thought was, 'Oooh. That's not a nice way to go.' My second was, 'And because he has a family, I shall definitely not be writing about the incident in The Sun this week.'"
Clarkson's column attack
He continued: "But then along came Donald Trump. Now I know he puts his foot in it on an almost daily basis, but to upload some AI footage of him successfully wrestling a tiger is beyond the pale. It's sick."
South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard said the family had spoken to his office, sharing the pain caused by videos and pictures of the death being shared on social media. He added: "The President of the United States now using AI to mock that incident and the pain felt by the family of Mr Chapman, for little more than a cheap laugh on social media, should be greeted with the contempt it deserves."
Official response and family tribute
The Prime Minister's official spokesman declined to comment, remarking: "I'm not going to comment on the president's social media channels, he's got a press secretary who can speak to that."
William's relatives described him as a "bright, warm and engaging young man" who was "deeply loved". They added: "Sadly, William suffered from significant mental illness over a number of years and was consequently prescribed strong medication. It will be for the coroner to decide what part this played in his death. We would ask everybody to respect that process."
Yorkshire Wildlife Park resumed operations on Thursday following "engagement with the relevant authorities".
