In the late hours of Thursday night, a video shared by President Donald Trump on his social media platform sparked a wave of criticism from across the political spectrum after it included a brief yet charged visual — one that revived long‑standing racial wounds in American history. The clip, part of a longer piece promoting misleading claims about the 2020 election, briefly showed images of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama superimposed on the bodies of apes, accompanied by music. The depiction touched on a racist trope historically used to demean Black people and drew immediate denunciation from Democratic leaders and civil rights groups.
Almost within hours of the backlash, the White House deleted the post from Trump’s official Truth Social account. A senior White House official indicated the video had been shared in error by a staffer, though there was no detailed public explanation of internal moderation processes or review.
The clip appeared toward the end of a roughly one‑minute video focused primarily on false narratives about voting machine tampering in the 2020 presidential election — claims that have been repeatedly dismissed by courts and former Trump officials. The imagery of the Obamas lasted only a few seconds, but its timing, during Black History Month, amplified the controversy and intensified the response.
Democratic leaders were swift in their condemnation. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries called the imagery racist and unacceptable, while Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and others demanded its removal and point blank called for accountability. Civil rights organisations, including the NAACP, described the portrayal as invoking harmful stereotypes that have been used for generations to dehumanize Black Americans.
Even some Republicans criticized the post. South Carolina Senator Tim Scott — the longest‑serving Black senator in U.S. history — labelled it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House,” and called on the president to delete the video and apologise. Representative Mike Lawler, a Republican from New York, also publicly denounced the content.
In initial responses, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt characterised the broader reaction as exaggerated, suggesting the imagery came from an “internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King,” and asking critics to “stop the fake outrage.” But within hours, the decision to delete the video appeared to acknowledge the depth of the sensitivity around racial depictions of historic figures like the Obamas.
The incident underscores ongoing tensions in American political and cultural discourse — particularly around race, symbolism, and the power of digital platforms to amplify imagery instantly to millions. While the White House framed the post as unintended, critics argue it reflects broader concerns about racial sensitivity and standards in political communication.
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