FACT CHECK: DEEPFAKE VIDEO SHOWS TIM WALZ DANCING IN COWBOY OUTFIT
The video has been digitally altered. The face of the dancer was changed to resemble Walz.
A September 5 Instagram video shows a man in a cowboy outfit and glasses dancing in an elevator lobby. The video is captioned, “This is Kamala’s VP Running Mate, Tim Waltz (sic).” Within a day, it garnered over 400 likes.
OUR RATING: ALTERED
Experts confirm that the video is digitally edited. The dancer’s face was manipulated to look like Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who is the Democratic nominee for Vice President. However, the original footage does not feature Walz.
VIDEO INCLUDES INDICATORS OF DIGITAL MANIPULATION
Walter Scheirer, an engineering professor at the University of Notre Dame, highlighted that the video appears to be a “very obvious face swap using a deepfake-like algorithm.” He noted several discrepancies, including blurring effects and inconsistent lighting, which are characteristic of low-quality deepfakes. Importantly, the original video posted in February clearly shows a different dancer who does not wear glasses.
This isn’t the first time Walz’s likeness has been misused. Similar manipulated videos circulated in August, falsely presenting Walz dancing in a cowboy hat with money tucked into his belt, displaying analogs of digital manipulation.
The Instagram user who shared this video failed to provide any supporting evidence when contacted by USA TODAY.
OUR FACT-CHECK SOURCES:
– Walter Scheirer, September 6, Email exchange with USA TODAY
– @krumpmasterkrump, February 19, Instagram post
– USA TODAY, August 27, “No, Tim Walz isn’t the cowboy dancer in this video”
Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition or e-newspaper [here](https://cm.usatoday.com/specialoffer?_ga=2.159964861.1095412655.1597937597-1319250638.1597937595).
USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, demonstrating a commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness, and transparency. Our fact-checking efforts are supported by a grant from Meta.
