Juliet Buna
On July 13, 2024, a former President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, who is also the Republican candidate for the upcoming November 5, 2024 election, was shot at while addressing a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
According to the AFP, a 20-year-old man named Thomas Matthew Crooks fired eight rounds from an AR-15-style rifle from a rooftop approximately 400 feet from the stage. The Secret Service quickly shielded Trump, who was taken to a hospital, treated, and later released in stable condition.
Following the incident, a YouTuber named MC Bobby Productions posted a video on YouTube claiming that Donald Trump said President Tinubu called him to commiserate with him on the incident. In reaction to a purported call from Tinubu, Trump allegedly announced that Nigerians would no longer need a visa to enter the US after he wins the November election.
The 20-second video shows Trump saying, “I thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He called me last night; he was the only president who had called when the incident happened. I really appreciate it, and for this reason, when I win the election, Nigerians will need no visa to enter the United States.”
The video has garnered over 588,000 views, 8,000 likes and more than 900 comments.
Some users who reacted to the post said, @truthmatters5055, “Biden, That’s a patriot and a leader, not selfish like Donald Trump, the con man. A true American 
@user-ny3jr7tk2i wrote, “Thank God, by God’s grace, you will win and also thank you, our president.”
Because of the viral nature of the post, DUBAWA decided to verify the claim, especially since it pertains to visa policies.
VERIFICATION
DUBAWA conducted a keyword search on Donald Trump, Tinubu, and visa-free entry into the US but found no credible information supporting the claim.
We also consulted the DUBAWA Chatbot, an assistive AI tool built to answer everyday questions regarding viral misinformation and disinformation.
The chatbot noted that no evidence supports the claim that Donald Trump promised visa-free entry to the U.S. for Nigerians. Additionally, it clarified that U.S. immigration policies, including those from Trump’s previous term, have become more restrictive even for Nigerians.
The Chatbot wrote, “Based on the data provided, there is no evidence that Donald Trump promised to give Nigerians visa-free entry to the US if he wins the upcoming election. In fact, there are reports that the US has expanded its curbs on immigration, including banning Nigerians from obtaining certain visas. Additionally, Trump has outlined plans for mass deportations and other stringent immigration measures if re-elected, which do not include offering visa-free entry to Nigerians.”
Screenshots from DUBAWA Chatbox reply to our enquiry.
To verify further, DUBAWA used deepware.ai, an AI application that scans and detects deep fake videos and determines if they have been synthetically manipulated.
The analysis revealed that the video is a deepfake. Typical characteristics of deepfake videos, such as misalignment between the audio and mouth movements, were observed.
Screenshot of result from deepware.ai
DUBAWA also searched for reports on whether President Tinubu had called Trump after the incident, but we found none. While it was confirmed that President Tinubu condemned the shooting incident in a statement on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle (@officialABAT), there was no evidence that Trump made any promises regarding visa policies.
CONCLUSION
The claim that Donald Trump announced Nigerians would not need visas to enter the United States is FALSE. The video circulating on YouTube is AI-generated and a deepfake.
The researcher produced this article per the DUBAWA 2024 Kwame KariKari Fellowship, in partnership with Crest 91.1FM, Ibadan, and News Verifier Africa, to facilitate the ethos of “truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.
