Mao Ning, spokesperson for China’
s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, posted a meme on X illustrating the cost of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” hats increasing to $77 from $50, presumably due to the latest tariffs. The meme displays the hat with a ‘Made in China’ tag; however, official MAGA hats are manufactured in the US.
— Mao Ning (@SpoxCHN_MaoNing) April 10, 2025
Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in the US, doubled down on Mao’s meme, uploading an image of MAGA hat prices skyrocketing by more than 100%. He shared a collage picture of four images depicting the cost of the hat, which rose from $50 to $112.50.
— Liu Pengyu Liu Pengyu (@SpoxCHNinUS) April 10, 2025
Some AI-generated memes that have circulated online depict Americans working in garment factories. The now-viral footage begins with an overweight man shown working on a sewing machine. The clip then featured other similar scenes based on obese workers with tired and frustrated expressions.
The video also features a Chinese tune in the background and ends with a note, ‘Make America Great Again.’ Sharing the video, a user wrote, “Chinese memes on American re-industrialisation rolling in. lol the music.”
Chinese memes on American re-industrialization rolling in. lol the music. ???? pic.twitter.com/GZE2jHDgWZ
— Gabor Gurbacs (@gaborgurbacs) April 7, 2025
Another user shared an AI-generated picture of a man at a sewing machine who is wearing the iconic red MAGA hat. The caption of the post read, “We’ve found the Mona Lisa of the AI internet.”
We’ve found the Mona Lisa of the AI internet. pic.twitter.com/hJmhHuKxyE
— Tweets from Zach Weinberg (@zachweinberg) April 8, 2025
One of the videos shows overweight American workers slowly working in factories, some sewing garments, some assembling smartphones, and others making Tesla products. As it ends, the text “Make America Rich Again” pops up with rusted billboards of Tesla, Nvidia, Nike, and Apple. “The Chinese made another American re-industrialisation meme,” read the caption.
The Chinese made another American re-industrialisation meme ????pic.twitter.com/IJoMZmAxHA
– Adam (@adammedia) April 10, 2025
Another video shows Trump sewing a garment, which also ends with the words “Make America Great Again”. The clip also features Elon Musk working on assembling a phone along with other workers. “Viral AI Clip Shows ‘Trump’ Sewing in China After Tariffs Hit’ #tariffs,” the user posted.
Viral AI Clip Shows ‘Trump’ Sewing in China After Tariffs Hit” #tariffs pic.twitter.com/Q3FeprgbnV
– mohammad ahsan (@mohammad_aarsh) April 9, 2025
Another image depicts workers assembling phones, with one user pointing out that a job is ‘better’ than no job.
Me and the boys are practicing pic.twitter.com/CpFAENbrer
— Overheard on Wall Street (@OHWallStreet) April 6, 2025
A social media user posted an AI-generated meme with the caption, ‘Make the sock.’ The image shows a worker with a Patagonia vest and earphones on, weeping over a garment machine while making a sock. It also features a frowning portrait of Trump behind the worker.
“Make the sock” pic.twitter.com/UTinobjAwp
— Stilicho (@StilichoReads) April 7, 2025
China has become Trump’s main trade target, and it is also exempted from the 90-day tariff pause. Instead, the US President hiked taxes on China to 125%, citing retaliatory duties placed on the US. In a Wednesday Truth Social post, Trump slammed China’s ‘lack of respect’ for global markets and announced increased duties while criticizing the nation for “ripping off the USA and other countries.”
