Washington, D.C. — President Donald Trump ignited a firestorm on social media Thursday night after sharing a racist video depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as monkeys. The post, shared on Trump’s Truth Social account, prompted bipartisan condemnation before being deleted in a rare White House backtrack.
The White House initially dismissed the outrage as “fake” and claimed the video was part of an internet meme depicting Democrats as characters from The Lion King. However, within 12 hours, officials acknowledged that the post was made in error by a staffer and removed it.
Outrage Across the Political Spectrum
Democrats described the video as “vile” and racist, while some Republicans also criticized the post. Senator Tim Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, called the video “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House” and said he was “praying it was fake.” Senator Roger Wicker added that the post was “totally unacceptable” and urged the president to apologize.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris called the White House’s response a “cover-up” and rejected the explanation that a staffer was solely responsible. “No one believes this cover-up from the White House, especially since they originally defended the post,” Harris said. “We are all clear-eyed about who Donald Trump is and what he believes.”
Trump’s Response
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump denied having seen the full video. “I just looked at the first part… and I didn’t see the whole thing,” he said. He admitted that he had given the clip to staffers to post, who also had not watched it in full. When asked if he condemned the racist imagery, Trump replied, “of course I do,” but defended the broader claims in the video about election fraud.
The controversial clip, lasting about one minute, promoted conspiracies that Republican Trump lost the 2020 election due to voter fraud, including allegations involving Dominion Voting Systems.
Pattern of Racist and Divisive Content
This is not the first instance of Trump using racially charged imagery online. During his political career, he promoted the “birther” conspiracy questioning Obama’s birthplace and has previously posted AI-generated videos mocking other politicians and protesters, including House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Since returning to the White House, Trump has also targeted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, with critics arguing his administration undermines long-standing civil rights initiatives born from the 1960s movement led primarily by Black Americans.
The episode adds to concerns about the president’s use of social media for political messaging and the potential impact on national discourse, particularly around race and equality.
