Trump Defends Posting Racist Video Featuring Obamas on Social Media
Donald Trump stated on Friday evening that he had instructed aides to post a controversial video on his Truth Social account, which depicted Barack and Michelle Obama’s faces superimposed on the bodies of apes. Although the video was subsequently deleted, Trump claimed he had not seen the offensive portion of the clip and refused to apologize for its content.
The video appeared during one of the 79-year-old former president’s late-night posting sessions on Truth Social. It shows the laughing faces of Barack and Michelle Obama superimposed on primates in a jungle setting, moving in time with the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." The brief clip appears at the end of a minute-long video created by a third party that promotes Trump’s persistent but false claim that he won the 2020 presidential election, despite losing to Joe Biden. The video was reposted from content bearing the logo of Patriot News Outlet, a pro-Trump Republican website.
Initially, the White House defended the video through a statement from the press secretary. However, the video was later removed, and reporters were informed that it had been posted without the president’s knowledge by an aide. Natalie Harp, an aide to Trump and former anchor for the conspiratorial One America News, has access to the president’s Truth Social account.
Trump contradicted his aides’ explanations by telling reporters that he did approve the posting of the video.
"I just looked at the first part," the president said. "I didn’t see the whole thing; I guess during the end of it there was some kind of a picture that people don’t like. I wouldn’t like it either. But I didn’t see it, I just, I looked at the first part… then I gave it to the people. Generally they look at the whole thing, but I guess somebody didn’t and they posted – and we took it down."
When asked if he would apologize, as some Republican officials had suggested, Trump responded sharply.
"No, I didn’t make a mistake," said the president regarding the racist meme posted on his social media account.
Reactions and Political Responses
By mid-morning Eastern Time on Friday, the post had received approximately 5,600 likes but also sparked outrage across the political spectrum due to the use of a blatant racist trope involving the first Black president and first lady, both Democrats. Despite the backlash, only a few Republicans spoke out, and none from the party’s congressional leadership.
Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, the only Black Republican in the US Senate and a former presidential contender, posted:
"Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House. The President should remove it."
Earlier in the day, the White House defended the post and mocked media coverage of the controversy. However, by midday on Friday, the post was removed from Trump’s Truth Social account, with the White House attributing the posting to a staffer’s mistake.
Republican Congressman Mike Lawler of New York stated:
"The President’s post is wrong and incredibly offensive – whether intentional or a mistake – and should be deleted immediately with an apology offered."
Trump’s post, made just before midnight on Thursday, was swiftly condemned by the social media account Republicans Against Trump, but GOP leadership remained silent.
Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York criticized the GOP leadership:
"Why are GOP leaders like [Senate majority leader] John Thune continuing to stand by this sick individual? Every single Republican must immediately denounce Donald Trump’s disgusting bigotry."Jeffries praised the Obamas as "brilliant, compassionate and patriotic Americans" and called Trump "a vile, unhinged and malignant bottom feeder."
Neither Senate Majority Leader John Thune nor House Speaker Mike Johnson, the top two Republicans in Congress, issued comments. This prompted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York to post on X:
"Racist. Vile. Abhorrent. This is dangerous and degrades our country – where are Senate Republicans? The President must immediately delete the post and apologize to Barack and Michelle Obama, two great Americans who make [Trump] look like a small, envious man."
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, was among the first to comment:
"Disgusting behavior by the President. Every single Republican must denounce this. Now."
Context of Trump’s History on Racism and Misogyny
Trump’s second term as president has been marked by numerous instances of racism and misogyny. He has frequently attacked Representative Ilhan Omar, a Somali American, labeling her and other immigrants with derogatory terms. Additionally, he has launched harsh rhetoric against both legal and undocumented immigrants. In most cases, there has been minimal Republican opposition to these actions.
In an early Friday statement to , before the post was removed, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt attempted to downplay the controversy. She linked to a post on X from October by a separate right-wing account featuring a 55-second video from which the Obama clip appears to have been taken. The video begins with the Obamas depicted as apes, later shows Joe Biden’s head superimposed on a monkey’s body, and portrays other prominent Democrats as various animals, while Trump is depicted as a male lion.
Leavitt stated:
"This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and [the Obamas] as characters from the Lion King. Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public."
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) rejected Leavitt’s response and condemned Trump’s video as "blatantly racist, disgusting, and utterly despicable." Derrick Johnson, the NAACP’s national president, said in a statement:
"Trump is obviously desperate to distract us from the [criminal investigations] and his rapidly failing economy. You know who isn’t in the Epstein files? Barack Obama. You know who actually improved the economy as president? Barack Obama."He added:
"Voters are watching and will remember this at the ballot box."
Content and Claims in the Video
The Friday post that concludes with the Obama clip primarily focuses on Trump’s false and disproven claims, as promoted by right-wing sources, that Dominion Voting Systems manipulated vote-counting machines to steal the 2020 presidential election from Trump. Dominion Voting Systems settled a landmark defamation lawsuit with Fox News in April 2023.
