President Donald Trump removed a racist video from his Truth Social account late Thursday night after widespread condemnation, a move that underscores the ongoing tension between his unfiltered social media presence and the expectations of presidential conduct. The video, which depicted former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama with the faces superimposed onto cartoon apes, sparked outrage from both Democrats and Republicans.
The roughly minute-long video initially presented over sixty seconds of unsubstantiated claims of fraud related to the 2020 presidential election. It concluded with the jarring imagery of the Obamas as primates, set to the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” The post was shared overnight and quickly gained traction, amassing over 4,500 likes and 1,400 shares before its removal.
The White House initially defended the post, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissing the criticism as “fake outrage.” Leavitt characterized the video as an internet meme depicting Trump as the “King of the Jungle” and Democrats as characters from “The Lion King.” However, the backlash continued to mount, prompting a reversal. A White House official stated that the video was posted erroneously by a staffer and had been taken down.
The incident has reignited debate about Trump’s use of social media and the extent to which his posts should be considered official statements. While the White House has previously suggested that reposts by the president don’t necessarily represent official policy, Democrats argue that Trump frequently uses the platform to make official announcements and that the video clearly conveyed racist intent.
Prominent Democrats were quick to condemn the video. Gavin Newsom’s spokesperson called the post “disgusting behavior” and demanded condemnation from all Republicans. Political strategist Adam Parkhomenko labeled it “openly racist” and argued that Trump should never again be in a position of power.
The imagery employed in the video evokes a long and painful history of racist tropes depicting Black people as apes, a dehumanizing tactic used throughout slavery and segregation. The timing of the post, during Black History Month, further amplified the outrage.
According to Erik Mouthaan, a U.S. Correspondent, such an action by a government leader or staff member would be almost unimaginable in the Netherlands. However, he notes that Trump’s frequent and often rapid-fire posting on Truth Social has become a defining characteristic of his post-presidency. “He sometimes spends hours on Truth Social and reposts dozens of videos in a short period of time,” Mouthaan explained.
While Trump’s supporters maintain that his policies are not racist, critics point to past instances of inflammatory rhetoric, including the use of the term “vermin” to describe Latino individuals. Despite these controversies, Mouthaan doesn’t anticipate significant political consequences. “For many Americans, What we have is just the latest incident,” he said. “He claims Greenland one moment, awards himself the Nobel Peace Prize the next. The pace is so high that it’s hard for many to keep up.”
The Obama family has not yet issued a public statement regarding the video. The incident highlights the challenges of navigating the evolving landscape of political communication in the age of social media, where a single post can quickly escalate into a national controversy. It also raises questions about the responsibility of platforms to moderate content and the potential for online rhetoric to incite real-world harm.
The removal of the video, while a response to the outcry, doesn’t necessarily signal a change in Trump’s approach to social media. His continued reliance on the platform as a primary means of communication suggests that similar incidents may occur in the future, continuing to test the boundaries of acceptable political discourse.
The incident also underscores the broader debate about the role of misinformation and conspiracy theories in the current political climate. The video was initially shared alongside debunked claims about the 2020 election, highlighting the way in which social media can be used to amplify false narratives and sow division.
