In September 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump shared an animated video on his Truth Social account showing him repeatedly striking Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney with a hockey stick.
Trump did not share the animated video itself. However, he did publish a static cartoon image depicting both men in hockey gear, with the Canadian prime minister on the ground and Trump standing over him saying, “Get up, Governor.” This still image served as the foundation for the unauthorized animation.
Amid a growing trade war between the United States and Canada in the late summer of 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump intensified his public criticisms and warnings directed at Canada and its leadership.
As diplomatic tensions escalated that September, social media users began spreading a claim that Trump had posted an animated clip of himself physically assaulting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney with a hockey stick.
A user on Bluesky, for instance, published the video clip (archived) alongside the commentary: “Trump is getting worse. He posted this on Truth Social. My God, somebody remove him from office!”
(Bluesky user @andrewmfounder.bsky.social)
The animated video and the assertion that Trump published it also spread across Reddit (archived) and multiple posts on X (archived, archived). Numerous readers subsequently reached out to inquire about the authenticity of the post.
In reality, while Trump did publish a static cartoon image of himself in hockey gear towering over Carney—which clearly inspired the video—he never shared the animated version. Consequently, the claim has been rated mostly false.
The timestamp attached to the purported social media post featuring the animation lists “Sep 06, 2026, 4:08 PM.”
Records confirm that at 4:08 p.m. PDT on that date, Trump did upload (archived) a still cartoon graphic to his Truth Social profile. The image portrays both politicians in hockey uniforms, with Carney lying on the ice and a speech bubble showing Trump’s character declaring, “Get up, Governor.”
Archived data of Trump’s Truth Social activity indicates (archived) that the former president published eight distinct posts in a rapid window between 4:07 p.m. and 4:09 p.m. PDT on September 6, 2026.
The posts immediately preceding the hockey cartoon included a golf-related video and a ranking of U.S. presidents placing Trump at the top. The subsequent posts featured an image concerning Iran and a digital rendering of Trump himself.
At no point did Trump upload the complete motion animation that circulated widely on other platforms.
Trump routinely shares AI-generated media on Truth Social, a phenomenon that has been frequently examined and verified.
The viral animation falsely linked to Trump carried an unofficial watermark reading “Animated by Grok.” Due to the inability to trace the original creator, it could not be independently verified whether Grok was genuinely utilized to produce the clip.
Furthermore, it remains unconfirmed whether the original static image shared by Trump was created using artificial intelligence. Inquiries were sent to the White House to clarify whether the animation was ever posted, and updates will be provided should a response be received.