A viral video shared on X purports to show a former student accusing 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz of sexual assault.

Breaking: Tim Walz’s former student, Matthew Metro, drops a shocking allegation-claims Walz s*xually assaulted him in 1997 while Walz was his teacher at Mankato West High School. Metro was a senior at the time.

If this is true, it’s a political earthquake. pic.twitter.com/9T86w6TSxQ

— 1776 (@TheWakeninq) October 16, 2024

Verdict: False

The video has been manipulated and features audio generated with artificial intelligence (AI). The man in the video bears no resemblance to the real Matthew Metro, according to photos shared on X and Facebook. In addition, a media forensics and AI expert denied the video’s authenticity in an email to Check Your Fact.

Fact Check:

Walz and former Democratic President Bill Clinton are set to campaign for 2024 Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in Durham, North Carolina on Thursday, according to The News & Observer. Walz will also be making a stop in Winston-Salem, the outlet reported.

The video, which has garnered over four million views as of writing, purports to show a former student accusing Walz of sexual assault. In the video, a black male identifies himself as Matthew Metro and claims he was allegedly assaulted by Walz in 1997 at Mankato West High School.

The claim is false. While a man named Matthew Metro attended Mankato West High School from 1993 to 1996, according to his LinkedIn profile, the man bears no resemblance to the man in the viral X video. Photos of the real Matthew Metro shared via another X post also reiterate that he bears no resemblance to the man in the viral X video.

“It’s not him. His facial and bone structures are nothing alike. This video shows serious evidence of AI-manipulation using facial features of a Matthew Metro, who attended Mankato West HS between 1993-1996, went on to work at a NY ballet academy, then became homeless in 2021,” the post indicates.

The photos that appear in the post match that of a Facebook profile belonging to the real Matthew Metro.

It’s not him. His facial and bone structures are nothing alike. This video shows serious evidence of AI-manipulation using facial features of a Matthew Metro, who attended Mankato West HS between 1993-1996, went on to work at a NY ballet academy, then became homeless in 2021. pic.twitter.com/eUPLyVDu0S

— Joseph (@joecus62) October 16, 2024

In addition, according to a scan from TrueMedia.org, the video shows “substantial evidence of manipulation” and features audio generated with AI.

Likewise, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim. Walz also has neither issued a press release nor a social media statement responding to the claim. (RELATED: X Video Claims Tim Walz And Doug Emhoff Did Not Pay For Orders During Cafe Stop)

Furthermore, Dr. Walter Scheirer, a media forensics and AI expert at the University of Notre Dame, denied the video’s authenticity in an email to Check Your Fact.

“This video is like the product of a generative AI algorithm. The voice is unnatural and isn’t well synched with the mouth of the subject in the video. Further, this video has already been debunked by a variety of news sources since it appeared,” Scheirer said.

Walz was a former social studies teacher and football coach at Mankato West High School from 1996 to 2006, according to Spectrum News NY 1.

Check Your Fact has contacted also Walz’s office for comment.