A firestorm of bipartisan condemnation erupted Friday after President Donald Trump shared a racially inflammatory video on his Truth Social platform depicting former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama with monkey features. The controversial post, which surfaced during Trump’s second term, represents one of the most overtly racist communications ever originating from a sitting U.S. president’s official account.
The one-minute video, promoting debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, superimposed the Obamas’ faces onto primate bodies while playing ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ in the background. It recycled false allegations about Dominion Voting Systems orchestrating Trump’s electoral defeat to President Joe Biden, who served as Obama’s vice president.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the post as an ‘internet meme depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King,’ dismissing criticism as ‘fake outrage.’ This defense emerged despite immediate and severe backlash from both sides of the political aisle.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries condemned Trump as a ‘vile, unhinged and malignant sick individual,’ demanding universal Republican condemnation. Remarkably, Senator Tim Scott, the chamber’s sole Black Republican and former presidential contender, described the video as ‘the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House’ and urged its removal.
The incident continues Trump’s longstanding pattern of racially provocative behavior toward the Obamas, beginning with his promotion of the ‘birther’ conspiracy theory questioning Barack Obama’s citizenship. This latest controversy coincides with the administration’s systematic dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, reversing decades of civil rights progress.
Analysts note the video represents an escalation in Trump’s use of AI-generated content, with the same creator responsible for previous deepfakes showing Obama arrested and fighter jets dumping waste on protesters. Critics including former Obama advisor Ben Rhodes predicted history would remember the Obamas as ‘beloved figures’ while judging Trump ‘a stain on our history.’