Fact Check: Viral Jon Stewart Video Mocking Trump Tariffs On India Is a Deepfake

A 59-second video widely shared on social media claims to show American comedian and TV host Jon Stewart mocking US president Donald Trump. The clip allegedly features Stewart ridiculing Trump’s decision to impose 50% tariffs on Indian goods, reportedly as punishment for Delhi’s purchase of Russian oil and weapons.

The video has been viewed over 5,66,000 times, with many users praising Stewart’s supposed “roast” of Trump. Newschecker found the clip to be an AI-generated deepfake.

Evidence

1. Lip Movements and Speech Out of Sync

On close inspection, Stewart’s lip movements in the viral video appear unnatural and out of sync with the audio—an early sign of AI manipulation.

2. No Record of Stewart Making the Remarks

A keyword search using lines from the clip, such as “India, over here, is launching rockets to the moon for the price of your golf trip,” yielded no credible results linking Stewart to the quote.

3. The Daily Show Was On Break

The Youtube channel of Stewart’s comedy programme, The Daily Show, shows that its latest episode aired on July 29, 2025. The program is currently on an extended break until September 8, 2025. Trump’s executive order on tariffs was issued on August 6, 2025, confirming Stewart could not have commented on it in a broadcast.

4. AI Deepfake Detection Tools Confirm Manipulation

• Resemble Deepfake Detector flagged the video as “fake.”
  
• Hiya Deepfake Voice Detector found the audio to be “likely deepfake.”
  
• Deepfake-o-Meter: 6 out of 11 classifiers leaned toward the video being AI-generated, with one showing a 100% likelihood.

Also Read: Operation Sindoor: Navy Chief Did Not Say Govt Stopped Them From Fighting Pakistan, Viral Video Is AI-Manipulated

Verdict

The viral video claiming to show Jon Stewart mocking Donald Trump’s India tariff announcement is an altered media clip created using AI deepfake technology. Stewart did not make the remarks attributed to him.

FAQs

Q1. Did Jon Stewart mock Trump’s India tariffs in a recent video?
No. The viral clip is a deepfake.

Q2. How do we know the Jon Stewart video is fake?
Newschecker analysed the video using AI detection tools, checked Stewart’s show schedule, and verified that no record of the quotes exists.

Q3. What tools confirmed the video was a deepfake?
Resemble Deepfake Detector, Hiya Voice Detector, and Deepfake-o-Meter all flagged the video as AI-generated.

Sources
The Daily Show, YouTube channel
White House Fact Sheet, Trump’s tariff announcement, August 6, 2025
Resemble AI Deepfake Detector 
Deepfake-o-Meter
Hiya Deepfake Voice Detector