In a recent and controversial move, President Donald Trump has chosen to delete a social media video that featured a racist segment portraying Barack and Michelle Obama as apes. The clip, which was set to the tune of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," appeared at the conclusion of a 62-second video where Trump made various claims regarding voter fraud linked to the 2020 presidential election.
This incident gained attention after Republican Senator Tim Scott, who is African American, publicly urged the president to take down the post, labeling it as "the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House."
Initially, the White House defended the inclusion of the clip, referring to it as an "internet meme video" and even suggested critics should "stop the fake outrage." However, the mounting criticism, particularly from several other Republican senators, ultimately led to the removal of the video from Trump's Truth Social account. A White House official later stated that the staffer responsible for posting the content had done so "erroneously."
The offensive clip appears to have originated from a post shared by conservative meme creator Xerias on an X platform last October, which also included depictions of other prominent Democrats as animals. Among those illustrated were New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Notably, Joe Biden, Trump's predecessor, was similarly depicted as an ape consuming a banana.
As of now, the Obamas have not released any statements regarding this video. Although Trump himself did not publicly comment on the backlash his post generated, the sharing of this video, one of many he uploaded to Truth Social overnight, ignited a significant outcry.
Some of the harshest criticisms came from within Trump's own political party. Senator Scott expressed his hope that the video was a fabrication, reiterating that it was the most racist content he had encountered from the current administration. He insisted, "The President should remove it."
Another Republican figure, New York Representative Mike Lawler, condemned the post as "wrong and incredibly offensive—whether intentional or a mistake" and called for its immediate deletion along with a public apology.
In response to the situation, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt explained that the video was meant to depict Trump as the "King of the Jungle" while characterizing Democrats as figures from the "Lion King" narrative. She urged critics to cease their "fake outrage" and focus on matters of genuine importance to the American public.
Before the video was taken down, Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, characterized it as "disgusting and utterly despicable," accusing Trump of trying to divert public attention from both the Epstein case and a deteriorating economy.
Meanwhile, Ben Rhodes, who served as Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications during the Obama presidency, remarked that future generations would view the Obamas as cherished figures, while regarding Trump as a blemish in the nation’s history.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker succinctly labeled Trump a racist in his brief statement on the issue. Similarly, California Governor Gavin Newsom's office described the president's actions as "disgusting behavior" and insisted that every Republican must denounce this incident immediately.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also chimed in, referencing Trump's previous racially charged comments and branding the president as a "vile, unhinged and malignant bottom feeder." He called for every Republican to unequivocally denounce Trump’s "disgusting bigotry."
It’s important to note that the clip featuring the Obamas was tacked on to a video that contained unfounded allegations about a voting conspiracy in Michigan during the 2020 election, which had been debunked in the legal context of Dominion Voting Systems’ successful civil lawsuits against certain media outlets.
Additionally, Trump has a long-standing history of targeting Obama with various accusations. Before assuming the presidency, he frequently propagated false claims regarding Obama’s birthplace, initially insisting that the Hawaii-born Obama was born in Kenya and thus ineligible for the presidency. Eventually, Trump acknowledged Obama’s true birthplace.
