Trump Obama Apes Video: White House Blames Staffer After Racist Post Sparks Outrage

Backlash Erupts After Trump Shares Controversial Video Depicting Obamas as Apes

President Donald Trump has sparked a fresh wave of bipartisan condemnation following a late-night social media spree that included a video depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as primates.

Source: Internet

The video, posted to Trump’s Truth Social account late Thursday night, featured a minute-long montage centered on disproven 2020 election conspiracy theories. However, it was the final few seconds that ignited a firestorm: a clip showing the faces of the Obamas superimposed onto the bodies of dancing apes in a jungle setting, set to the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."

The White House Response: "Fake Outrage"

Initially, the White House doubled down on the post. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the backlash as "fake outrage," describing the video as a simple "internet meme" depicting the President as the "King of the Jungle" and his political rivals as characters from The Lion King.

"Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public," Leavitt stated in a text to reporters on Friday morning.

Bipartisan Condemnation

The defense from the White House did little to quell the anger, which notably crossed party lines.

• Senator Tim Scott (R-SC): The Senate’s only Black Republican called the post "the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House," adding that he was "praying it was fake."

• Senator Katie Britt (R-AL): Joined the chorus of critics, stating the content "should have never been posted to begin with."

• Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA): Labeled the post "disgusting behavior" and called on all Republicans to denounce the imagery.

• NAACP President Derrick Johnson: Described the video as "blatantly racist, disgusting, and utterly despicable," suggesting it was a tactic to distract from other national issues.

Read More New...

The Staffer Defense and Deletion

By midday Friday, the post was abruptly removed from the President’s account. Shifting from their earlier defensive stance, White House officials claimed the video had been posted "erroneously" by a staffer.

While the video has been scrubbed from the President's official feed, the incident has reignited a national conversation about the use of AI-generated imagery and dehumanizing tropes in modern political discourse.

Source: Internet,Media