Palm Beach, Florida – U.S. President Donald Trump defended sharing a video containing a racist animation of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, stating he did not view the entire clip before posting it to his social media platform. The incident, which occurred late Thursday and prompted widespread condemnation, has ignited a new wave of controversy surrounding the President’s rhetoric and judgment.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on , en route to Mar-a-Lago, Trump claimed he only saw the initial portion of the video, which he said focused on debunked claims of voter fraud in the election. “I guess during the end of it, there was some kind of picture people don’t like. I wouldn’t like it either, but I didn’t see it,” he said, as reported by multiple news outlets. He reiterated that he “just…looked at the first part, and it was really about voter fraud.”
The video in question features the faces of Barack and Michelle Obama superimposed onto the bodies of apes, accompanied by the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” This imagery evokes deeply rooted racist tropes and historical caricatures used to denigrate Black people. The clip appeared at the end of a longer video promoting unsubstantiated allegations about the presidential election results.
When directly asked whether he would apologize for sharing the video, Trump responded with a firm “No, I didn’t make a mistake. I mean…I look at a lot of, thousands of, things, and I looked at the beginning of it. It was fine.” He did state, however, that he “of course” condemns the racist portion of the video, a statement that has been met with skepticism given his refusal to take responsibility for sharing it in the first place.
The initial response from the White House was to defend the clip as an “internet meme video” and urge critics to “stop the fake outrage.” However, following a significant backlash, including criticism from within his own party, the post was removed from Trump’s Truth Social account. A White House official subsequently stated that a staff member had “erroneously” made the post, a claim Trump appeared to support by shifting some blame to an aide.
Republican Senator Tim Scott, who is Black, described the video as “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.” This condemnation from a prominent member of his own party underscores the severity of the situation and the widespread offense the video has caused.
The racist imagery within the video is not new. According to reports, the clip originated from an X post shared by a conservative meme creator in October . That original video also depicted other Democratic figures, including New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as animals. Even President Joe Biden was depicted as an ape eating a banana.
As of , neither Barack nor Michelle Obama have publicly commented on the video. The incident, however, is likely to further fuel debates about race, political rhetoric, and the role of social media in disseminating harmful content.
The controversy comes at a time of heightened political tension in the United States, as the country approaches another presidential election cycle. Trump’s continued reliance on unsubstantiated claims of election fraud and his willingness to share inflammatory content raise concerns about the potential for further polarization and unrest. The incident also highlights the challenges faced by social media platforms in policing content and preventing the spread of misinformation and hate speech.
The decision to remove the video from Trump’s account, while a step in the right direction, has been criticized by some as insufficient. Critics argue that a simple removal does not address the underlying issues of racism and political division that the incident has exposed. The incident is likely to continue to generate debate and scrutiny in the days and weeks to come, raising questions about the future of political discourse in the United States and the responsibility of leaders to promote inclusivity and respect.
The President’s weekend is being spent at Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Palm Beach, Florida, where he is expected to continue his schedule of rallies and fundraising events. It remains to be seen whether this incident will have a lasting impact on his political standing or his ability to appeal to a broader range of voters.
