By: A.R Manj
A viral Chinese AI-generated video mocking disillusioned American workers has been circulating across both Chinese and US social media platforms, amid the escalating trade war between the two nations.
The 32-second clip features overworked and fatigued employees in a textile factory, appearing drained and demoralized as they laboriously stitch clothing at sewing machines. The video portrays the types of manufacturing jobs that have been outsourced to countries with cheaper labor over the past few decades, suggesting a bleak future for the American workforce due to President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff policies, according to The Independent.
Set to traditional Chinese music, the video concludes with Trump’s famous campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again,” which appears to be a pointed jab at the US president.
Over the years, many low-skill manufacturing jobs have shifted to countries like China, where labor is more affordable, as globalization expanded. Trump’s tariffs, however, are meant to encourage domestic production of goods and bring back low-skilled jobs to the US, ostensibly to stimulate the American job market and boost local businesses.
On Wednesday, Trump responded to China’s tariff actions by imposing retaliatory tariffs of 125% on Chinese goods, following China’s decision to levy 84% tariffs on US exports.
The video has already garnered over a million views, sparking further debate on social media about the implications of Trump’s tariff policies and their impact. Some users argue that the goal of the tariffs isn’t to revive low-skilled jobs in the US but rather to encourage China to purchase more American goods to reduce the ongoing $300 billion trade deficit. Others argue that low-skilled manufacturing will never return to the US due to the decline in education and a lack of a highly skilled workforce.
One commenter predicted: “America will become the poorest country in the world under Trump’s rule,” while another quipped, “iPhones are about to cost $5,000 and come with no charger.”
The TikTok video was reposted on X by user Damon Chen, who added a laughing-crying emoji to the clip, as reported by the New York Post.
In a recent interview with CBS, Howard Lutnick, Trump’s Commerce Secretary, claimed that “trillions” of dollars would flow into the US from new investments in the manufacturing sector. However, when host Margaret Brennan noted that building new factories would take years and would not reduce costs in the short term, Lutnick conceded, “It’s automated factories,” implying that the jobs would not be unionized and would likely be filled by robots. He reassured viewers that “Great American workers” would still play a role in building and operating these factories in the future.
