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AI/Deepfake
US President Donald Trump says India lost seven fighter jets, including three Rafales, during its military conflict with Pakistan in May 2025.
The video is a deepfake. While Trump did comment on India-Pakistan hostilities in August 2025, he never specifically said India lost seven jets or three Rafales.
A viral video circulating on social media claims that US President Donald Trump said India lost seven fighter jets, including three Rafales, during its May 2025 conflict with Pakistan. However, a fact-check reveals the clip is a deepfake, digitally altered from Trump’s speech during an August 26 cabinet meeting. While Trump did mention that seven jets were shot down during the standoff, he never specified whether they belonged to India or Pakistan, nor did he mention Rafales.
The archived version of the post can be seen here. India had launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan, in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed.
A keyword search led us to reports by NDTV (August 27, 2025), Times of India, and Hindustan Times. These confirm Trump said seven jets were shot down during the India-Pakistan standoff but did not clarify whether they belonged to India, Pakistan, or both.
Trump claimed he used trade pressure to de-escalate tensions and prevent a potential nuclear war. However, he never mentioned “three Rafales” or directly attributed the jet losses to India.
A reverse image search traced the viral footage to a White House live stream (August 26, 2025). The meeting footage shows Trump discussing the Russia-Ukraine conflict (from the 02:52:39 mark) at the time the viral clip (at 00:23) falsely depicts him referencing Pahalgam and Rafales.
At the 02:52:52 timestamp, Trump talks about the India-Pakistan situation,saying that seven jets were downed, but again without specifying whose. His gestures and expressions match the viral video, but the audio and lip sync differ — strong indicators of AI editing.
Also Read: Is Viral PM Modi–Lula Video From Recent SCO Summit?
The viral video claiming that Donald Trump said India lost seven fighter jets, including three Rafales, during the May 2025 Pakistan conflict is false. The clip is a deepfake, digitally altered from a White House broadcast. Trump did say seven jets were downed in the India-Pakistan conflict but never specified they were Indian or Rafales.
Q1. Did Trump say India lost three Rafale jets in May 2025?
No. Trump mentioned “seven jets” but never specified that India lost Rafales. The viral video is manipulated.
Q2. What did Trump actually say about the India-Pakistan conflict?
He said seven jets were shot down during hostilities and claimed his trade pressure helped prevent escalation, but did not assign blame to either side.
Q3. How do we know the video is a deepfake?
Deepfake detectors flagged it as AI-generated, and lip-sync inconsistencies along with the absence of media logos further confirm manipulation.
Q4. Where can I watch the original Trump video?
The original footage is available on the White House YouTube channel (August 26, 2025 Cabinet meeting) at the 02:52:52 timestamp.
Sources
NDTV report, August 27, 2025
White House, Cabinet Meeting live stream, Youtube, August 26, 2025
Resemble AI Detector results, September 3, 2025
Deepfake-o-Meter results, September 3, 2025
Altered Photo/Video
Kushel Madhusoodan
September 24, 2025
Ishwarachandra B G
September 23, 2025
Vasudha Beri
September 23, 2025
