Editor’s note: This story contains offensive imagery.
Washington — The White House removed a video shared by President Trump on social media Friday that contained racist footage depicting former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes. A White House official stated a staffer “erroneously made the post,” and it has since been taken down.
The removal followed backlash from Democrats and Republicans, who described the video as “racist,” “offensive,” and “unacceptable.” Earlier Friday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt characterized the footage as part of an “internet meme video” portraying the president as “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,” Leavitt said in response to questions about the post.
The video, shared to Mr. Trump’s Truth Social account at 11:44 p.m. Thursday, promoted false claims about the 2020 presidential election. It included a roughly two-second clip showing the Obamas’ heads edited onto the bodies of primates, accompanied by the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” A link to the video now leads to a “not found” page.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One Friday night, Mr. Trump said he “just looked at the first part” of the video and did not see the portion featuring the Obamas. “I guess during the end of it, there was some kind of a picture that people don’t like,” he said. “I wouldn’t like it either, but I didn’t see it.”
Mr. Trump has a history of sharing disparaging memes about the Obamas and previously amplified a conspiracy theory that Barack Obama was born in Kenya. During the 2016 presidential campaign, he stated that “President Obama was born in the United States. Period.”
A spokeswoman stated that the Obamas are not commenting at this time.
The original video, shared on X last October by the user @xerias_x, declared “President Trump: King of the Jungle.” It depicts numerous other Democrats as animals, including Hillary Clinton as a warthog, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as a donkey, and Chuck Schumer as a zebra. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris also appear as primates and a turtle, respectively. Mr. Trump is portrayed as a lion.
Lawmakers denounce Trump’s post
The footage shared by Mr. Trump was swiftly condemned by lawmakers from both parties. Several Republicans urged the president to remove the video and apologize.
“Praying it was fake as it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House,” said Sen. Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican, in a social media post. “The President should remove it.” Sen. Scott is the longest-serving Black senator in U.S. History and chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York echoed the call for Mr. Trump to delete the post. GOP Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi said the video was “totally unacceptable,” and Sen. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska wrote that a “reasonable person sees the racist context” to the depictions.
“The White House should do what anyone does when they make a mistake: remove this and apologize,” Ricketts said on X.
Sen. John Curtis, a Utah Republican, said the post was “blatantly racist and inexcusable.” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries called on Republicans to denounce what he described as the president’s “disgusting bigotry.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom, a California Democrat, denounced the video, stating, “Every single Republican must denounce this. Now.”
Trump’s claims about the 2020 presidential election
The president continues to claim, despite evidence to the contrary, that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent. Dozens of lawsuits filed by his campaign and allies seeking to overturn the results were dismissed by federal judges. The video shared by Mr. Trump makes unfounded allegations about voting machines from Dominion Voting Systems, which led to defamation lawsuits.
Fox News and Newsmax settled defamation suits brought by Dominion, agreeing to pay $787.5 million and $67 million, respectively. Dominion and Rudy Giuliani also reached a settlement, the terms of which are confidential.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was in the video shared by President Trump?
The video promoted false claims about the 2020 election and included roughly two seconds of footage depicting former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama with their heads edited onto the bodies of primates.
How did the White House respond to the backlash?
A White House official said a staffer “erroneously made the post,” and the video was removed. President Trump stated he had only seen the beginning of the video and did not view the offensive portion.
Did President Trump apologize for sharing the video?
No, Mr. Trump declined to apologize, stating, “I didn’t make a mistake.”
As political polarization continues, how might incidents like this shape public discourse and trust in information sources?
Keep reading