Jeremy Clarkson has condemned Donald Trump for posting AI-generated footage of himself chasing and wrestling the tiger that mauled a young man to death in Doncaster last weekend. The former Top Gear host used his latest column to call the US President “sick” over the video, which was shared on Truth Social days after William Chapman, 24, lost his life at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.
Clarkson's Scathing Response
In his column, Clarkson said: “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.’”
He added: “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.”
Trump's Video and Family's Distress
Trump uploaded the clip of William alongside the caption: “Don’t ever mess with nature.” He also shared an AI video set to The Lion Sleeps Tonight, showing him taking the tiger down. William’s family later released a statement asking people to stop sharing such content, saying it was causing “severe distress at an exceptionally vulnerable time”.
The family described William as a “bright, warm and engaging young man” who was “deeply loved”. They noted: “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.”
Political Reactions
South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard said: “[The family] spoke to my office yesterday, sharing the pain and suffering it's causing them knowing that videos and pictures of his death are being shared across social media. 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.”
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman declined to comment, saying: “I'm not going to comment on the president's social media channels, he's got a press secretary who can speak to that.”
Yorkshire Wildlife Park reopened on Thursday after “engagement with the relevant authorities”.
