Debunking the False Claim of Trump’s District Renaming Proposal

A false rumor claims President Trump wishes to rename the District of Columbia to the “District of America.” The supposed audio recording supporting this claim was generated using artificial intelligence, was not real, and has been debunked. The source of the audio, user @whmole, has been deactivated, revealing the prevalence of misinformation online.

In March 2025, a false rumor emerged alleging that U.S. President Donald Trump proposed renaming the District of Columbia to the “District of America.” This claim surfaced approximately two months following an executive order he signed to rename the Gulf of Mexico. Users circulated the rumor on various social media platforms, alongside a purported audio recording of Trump endorsing the change.

The audio recording has since been debunked as fake, generated by an artificial intelligence tool. Although the voice bore similarities to Trump’s, there were noticeable differences in tone and speech patterns. The fictitious recording presented a scenario in which Trump mistakenly believed that “Columbia” referred to the country of Colombia, leading to an invented rant about the district’s name.

The TikTok user behind this audio—identified as @whmole, which humorously implies a “White House mole”—has since become inaccessible, as the account was deactivated around March 14. Snopes confirmed this account was responsible for multiple videos featuring AI-generated audio of Trump. Additional clips exhibiting similar characteristics have been identified, including one where Trump purportedly confuses Isaac Newton with the term “Isaac Neutron.”

This misleading content underscores the growing prevalence of deepfake technology in misinformation campaigns. As such, individuals should exercise caution when encountering sensational claims, especially those that lack credible verification. It is imperative for social media platforms to maintain vigilance in identifying and mitigating the spread of disinformation and deceptive media, as fake recordings can easily mislead the public.

The assertion that President Donald Trump expressed a desire to rename the District of Columbia to the “District of America” is unfounded and based on a fabricated audio recording using AI. Despite its initial spread across social media, the recording’s authenticity has been debunked, highlighting the risks associated with deepfake technology and its potential to disseminate misinformation. Therefore, consumers of online content should remain skeptical and verify facts before believing sensational claims.

Original Source: www.snopes.com