Doctored video misrepresents Trump’s Davos meeting with Egypt’s Sisi
- Published on January 29, 2026 at 14:25
- 3 min read
- By Tolera FIKRU GEMTA, AFP Ethiopia
During a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2026, US President Donald Trump offered to mediate the longstanding dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Shortly afterwards, a video circulating on Facebook purported to show an upset Sisi walking out of the meeting, after Trump praised Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. However, the clip is doctored; in the original footage, Sisi remains seated throughout Trump’s remarks and shows no signs of unhappiness.
The post published on Facebook on January 22, 2026, contains text in Amharic reading: “Donald Trump's comments about Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's strength and commitment to negotiations deeply upset al-Sisi.”
“On the contrary, it demonstrates Dr Abiy's unwavering commitment to protecting the country's national interests,” adds the post, which has been shared more than 660 times.
A text overlay in the video, also in Amharic, states: “The conspiracy of the Egyptian leader signifies the Ethiopian leader’s strength.”
“And you also have a strong leader in Ethiopia, too. I do not know him as well as I know you, but he is a strong man,” Trump is heard saying to Sisi in the 20-second clip.
Immediately after, Sisi appears to hold his head in his hands before leaving his seat, after which Trump laughs at him. The clip then cuts to footage of Abiy laughing heartily.
Some commenters under the post appear to believe the footage is real.
“The man (al-Sisi) is crying, and our own Dr (Abiy) is amazing when he is laughing,” one user wrote in Amharic.
“For centuries, Egypt has conspired against Ethiopia to keep it backward and unstable, as well as to deny Ethiopia access to a port. Now, God has blessed Ethiopia with heroic leaders who have proclaimed victory over Egypt,” another comment reads.
GERD tensions
On September 9, 2025, Ethiopia inaugurated the GERD, Africa’s largest hydroelectric project. Built on the Blue Nile River at a cost of about $4 billion, the dam is designed to generate 5,150 megawatts of electricity (archived here).
The dam’s construction has long been a source of tension with downstream countries Egypt and Sudan. Ethiopia views the project as central to its national electrification goals, while Egypt fears it could significantly reduce its Nile water supply, describing it as an existential threat.
On January 21, 2026, at the annual WEF convention in Davos, Trump met with Sisi and offered to restore negotiations between Egypt and Ethiopia over the mega dam, which he claimed blocks the Nile’s flow (archived here).
Trump described the GERD as a “very dangerous issue” that could spark regional conflict.
However, the video shared online, claiming to show Sisi walking out of the meeting with Trump, is altered.
Manipulated video
By using InVID-WeVerify to conduct reverse image searches on keyframes from the video, AFP Fact Check traced the original footage to a video published on the official YouTube channel of The White House on January 21, 2026 (archived here).
“President Trump Participates in a Pull-Aside with the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt,” the video’s title reads.
In the nearly 10-minute-long video, Trump starts by praising Sisi and the “wonderful relationship” between the United States and Egypt. This is followed by Sisi’s remarks in Arabic, delivered with the assistance of an English translator.
At 6’08”, Trump says: “All of a sudden, the water is blocked by a very massive dam. I wouldn’t be happy about it. And here (pointing to Sisi), you have a very strong leader and a president, and you also have a strong leader in Ethiopia, too. I do not know him as well as I know you, but he is a strong man. I am going to try to bring the two of you together and see if we can make a deal.”
Part of these remarks were used in the altered clip.
Sisi remains seated throughout and does not display any visible signs of distress, nor does he leave the meeting.
The scenes showing Sisi upset and leaving the meeting were digitally manipulated and inserted into the original footage to give the false impression that he was disappointed with Trump’s praise of Abiy.
In the altered segment, Trump’s facial features morph unnaturally as he laughs after Sisi is shown leaving the meeting, an indication that the inserted clip was artificially generated.
Search results for the clip of Abiy laughing indicate that the footage is at least two years old and therefore unrelated to the Davos meeting, which Abiy did not attend (archived here).
Egypt and Sudan have welcomed Trump’s offer to mediate talks over the GERD, but Ethiopia has yet to respond (archived here).
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