United States President Donald Trump is facing a firestorm of criticism after sharing a controversial video on Truth Social that depicted former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes.
The post has ignited a fresh wave of social media backlash from political leaders, civil rights advocates, and digital ethics experts who condemn the video that depicted Obama and his wife as apes, as a “racist trope.”
The one-minute video focused on unverified claims regarding the 2020 election and Dominion Voting Systems.
However, the closing segment features hyper-realistic, AI-generated imagery where the faces of the Obamas are superimposed onto the bodies of monkeys dancing in a jungle setting to the tune of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”
The clip belongs to a pro-Trump account on X but was reposted by Trump on his Truth Social account.
Trump’s latest swipe at the Obama family has sparked widespread condemnation across the political divide over accusations of racism.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has led the charge on X (formerly Twitter), calling the post “disgusting behavior” and demanding that Republican leaders publicly denounce the video.
“Disgusting behavior by the President,’ wrote California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office on X. ‘Every single Republican must denounce this. Now.’
Anti-Trump Republicans on X condemned the president’s latest insult against the Obama family, accusing Trump of promoting racist imagery.
“Trump just posted a video on Truth Social that includes a racist image of Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys. There’s no bottom,’ wrote the account Republicans Against Trump on X.
“This is overt racism. Full stop. There’s no “misinterpretation” and no excuse. This is who he is, who he’s always been, and why he should never be anywhere near power again,’ said Democratic political strategist Adam Parkhomenko on X.
However, the White House has doubled down on Trump’s posting of the video that depicted Obama and his wife as apes.
White House dismissed the outrage as “fake,” characterizing the video as a simple “Lion King” parody that portrays Trump as a lion and his rivals as various animals.
“This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King,’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the press.
“Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”
Trump’s longstanding feud with Barack Obama stretches back decades, beginning when he first promoted claims that the 44th president was born outside the United States.
Since starting his second term, Trump has intensified attacks against Obama on social media by accusing the former president of ‘treason.’
The President claimed Obama betrayed the U.S by spying on his presidential campaign over accusations of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Below here are some more reactions;
