Viral AI-generated videos from Chinese creators are mocking the idea of American reindustrialization—specifically, the fantasy pushed by President Donald Trump and his supporters that the United States can bring back factory jobs with tariffs. In these hyperrealistic clips, obese white workers toil away in sweatshop-style conditions, assembling iPhones and sneakers.
The memes have right-wing Americans split on whether we will genuinely have to work like this. Some think that we—or at least the U.S. residents they consider beneath them—would be happier toiling their lives away making cars and sneakers they can’t afford. Others say robots will take those jobs. Either way, good times ahead.
America’s factory fantasy meets Chinese AI reality
Both AI-generated videos circulating on X this week show factories packed with workers, sweatshop style, sitting at sewing machines or assembling smartphones. Most are white and rather heavy, with one man whipping a magic burger out of thin air to chomp on as he sews.
The Chinese are trolling America with memes on American re-industrialization.
The music. 😂
— ADAM (@AdameMedia) April 8, 2025
The first video shows workers making generic products and ends with the tagline “Make America Great Again.” The new one brings in companies like Apple and Nike, with banners and hats reading “Made in America.” It ends with an apocalyptic view of four signs for the four mentioned brands falling over under a rusty sky.
The Chinese made another American re-industrialisation meme 😂pic.twitter.com/IJoMZmAxHA
— ADAM (@AdameMedia) April 10, 2025
America’s glorious sweatshop future—and past
These videos are meant to mock the idea pushed by Trump and his followers that his chaotic tariff plans will force manufacturers to move factories back to the U.S. Americans will have good, steady jobs where they can make things with their hands again instead of doing emails.
Unfortunately for us, experts warn that even if factories did flock to America, the result would be more like the Gilded Age of the late 1800s. During this time, as the country rushed to industrialize, poverty grew and wealth inequality skyrocketed.
This was primarily due to low wages forcing people to work long hours in unsafe conditions, including children. This period birthed the first sweatshops in the U.S. Should we be concerned Republicans keep trying to roll back laws prohibiting child labor?
Tariff backers argue the U.S. needs to go through its own reindustrialization phase in order to fix the economy. China, along with nations in Southeast Asia, went through a period of rapid industry increase after colonization interrupted their economic development. Sweatshop labor was a big part of this as companies like Nike took advantage of desperate workers in areas with weak labor laws.
While the U.S. may have some labor protections, those have long been on the decline. So what would reindustrialization look like for us?
From ‘The Great Leap Forward’ to ‘The Great Leap Backward’
It comes as no surprise that left-wing users are opposed to the idea of a new Gilded Age. They’ve even taken to calling Trump’s tariff plan and related rhetoric “The Great Leap Backward“—a play on the “Great Leap Forward” from the Mao Zedong era.
To counter these memes, many right-wing users insist that it doesn’t matter if the work is terrible because there’s “dignity” in it.
“It’s not good to make fun of hard-working people,” complained @UntoldHind51885. “There is dignity in labor. There’s pride in going back home after a hard day’s work.”
“Here’s another take,” offered @ComfortEagle1, “there was pride and dignity in those jobs and they helped create social cohesion without ridiculous government imposed DEI directives.”
Others, however, agreed that Americans either won’t or shouldn’t accept the kind of work portrayed in the videos. Instead, they predict that the labor will be automated somehow, giving all those promised jobs to robots instead of humans.
“When these tasks are performed in America, the factories will be built for automation,” said @LemonLamplight. “The only reason they still pay humans in China is because they will work for peanuts, so there’s no need yet to upgrade.”
What will Americans do for work, other than the few hired to repair these hypothetical bots? Is there dignity in that work, too? How long will it take them to build the factories Please explain.
“I think Americans will automate most of it,” @karmicoder agreed. “Americans want to be self-sufficient and that’s a good start but they don’t really need a trade war to start this initiative. After manufacturing, then they’ll force other countries to buy their products to earn profit. So predictive.”
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The post The Chinese trolled America with a viral AI sweatshop video. Now there’s a sequel, and it’s even more brutal appeared first on The Daily Dot.