President Donald Trump sparked swift backlash overnight after posting a video on his Truth Social platform that included a racist AI depiction of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as monkeys.
Between 10:36 p.m. and 12:25 a.m., the 79-year-old posted no fewer than 66 times, often reposting identical content drawn largely from MAGA accounts. The barrage included everything from reposted TikTok dog videos to attacks on longtime political targets Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
But the disturbing video, which promoted long-debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election and voting machine company Dominion Voting Systems, briefly displayed an offensive AI visual of the Obamas superimposed on apes’ bodies. (Editor’s Note: We will not share the image out of respect for the Obamas and other African Americans.) The song The Lion Sleeps Tonight played in the background when the former president and first lady appeared.
The clip was circulated widely before drawing condemnation from public officials, political strategists, and civil rights advocates. As of Friday morning, the post had been liked and reshared thousands of times. Democratic leaders and commentators quickly denounced the content.
“Disgusting behavior by the President. Every single Republican must denounce this. Now,” said the press office of California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Political strategist Adam Parkhomenko wrote 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.”
The post drew particular scrutiny given the long history of racist imagery portraying Black Americans as apes or monkeys, a trope used for centuries to dehumanize African Americans and justify discrimination and violence. The depiction of the Obamas, the first Black president and first lady in U.S. history, amplified that backlash, especially as the post appeared during Black History Month, a period meant to recognize and reflect on Black history, culture, and contributions.
Trump has faced repeated accusations of racial insensitivity and bigotry throughout his political career, and critics noted that the incident reinforces longstanding concerns about his rhetoric and use of social media.
Trump was removed from major platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, now X, following the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, before launching Truth Social as his primary online outlet. Although his accounts were later reinstated, his social media use continues to generate controversy.
In recent years, Trump has also accused Obama of treason without evidence, shared AI-generated content depicting the former president’s arrest, and criticized Obama’s 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. Obama’s office has previously dismissed such claims as “ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.”
A report from the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism found that those accusations were followed by a spike in online threats against Obama.
UPDATE:
In a statement sent to Deadline, Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, said, “This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King. Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”
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