Altered Melania Trump clip spreads after World Cup draw
- Published on December 11, 2025 at 18:56
- 3 min read
- By Bill MCCARTHY, AFP USA
A video spreading online appears to show Melania Trump scowling and eavesdropping as US President Donald Trump gleefully chats with his Mexican counterpart Claudia Sheinbaum while watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw in Washington. But the clip is altered; live event footage shows the first lady made no such face.
"Melania can't hide her jealous looks as Trump speaks energetically with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum," says a December 9, 2025 post on X.
The short video purports to show Trump gesturing with his hands while leaning in closely and saying something to a smiling Sheinbaum, who holds his gaze for several seconds. Melania, seated on her husband's left, looks on with apparent disapproval before drawing closer to catch what he is saying.
"What the hell is Trump doing with his hands and why does Melania look so pissed off and leaning over to hear what he's saying to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum," another post sharing the clip says.
Similar posts spread across Facebook and Threads after the star-studded December 5 ceremony at the Kennedy Center, during which Trump received a new FIFA peace prize and the groups were revealed for the 48-team tournament jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
But the video is altered.
The clip's watermark reveals it originated December 6 with the Spanish-language X and TikTok account "@won2skel," which regularly posts inauthentic content. AFP reached out to the user via TikTok for comment, but no response was forthcoming.
The manipulated clip appears to be based on a YouTube live stream from Reuters that showed Trump as he took in the ceremony and World Cup draw from his seat between Sheinbaum and Melania Trump (archived here). Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was also seated nearby, on the other side of Sheinbaum.
The 1:31:30 mark of the stream appears to match the starting point for the altered video.
As the real scene progressed, however, Melania Trump's facial expressions remained more stoic, and she never tilted her body to listen in on what the two presidents were discussing. Trump also did not make the same hand gestures as in the doctored video, nor did he grin as depicted.
A review of the entire Reuters stream revealed no such moment. Trump repeatedly engaged with both Sheinbaum and Carney on his right, as well as the US first lady on his left.
Photos AFP captured also show the three world leaders chatting as they watched the event, at which they also joined FIFA President Gianni Infantino on stage to ceremonially select their three nations in the draw.
Another sign of fakery: in the altered video, Melania Trump's face appears visibly cartoonish and distorted relative to her neck.
AFP has previously debunked other misinformation involving Donald Trump here.
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