WASHINGTON — A social media post by President Donald Trump showing former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama depicted as monkeys has sparked widespread outrage across the political spectrum and renewed debate about race and rhetoric in American public life.
The video, shared late Thursday night on Trump’s Truth Social account, included a brief animation near the end in which the Obamas’ faces appeared superimposed on primates, set to the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” The one-minute video also repeated baseless allegations about the 2020 election.
Critics from both parties condemned the imagery as racist, pointing to the historical use of similar depictions to demean Black people. Civil rights leaders and lawmakers said the timing, during Black History Month, made the post particularly offensive.
“It’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House,” said Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, one of Trump’s GOP allies who publicly criticized the post. Democratic leaders also decried the video, calling it dehumanizing and demanding an apology.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt initially dismissed the backlash as “fake outrage” and described the content as part of an internet meme portraying Trump as “King of the Jungle” alongside other politicians depicted as animals. After the criticism mounted, the post was deleted early Friday, and a White House official attributed it to an error by a staffer.
The Obamas have not publicly responded to the post. Advocates for racial justice and commentators said the incident highlights persistent concerns about racist tropes in political messaging and the normalization of inflammatory content by public officials.