By Emmanuel Bobby
President Donald Trump removed a racist video from his social media account Friday after it sparked swift and widespread backlash, including condemnation from several Republican lawmakers. The video depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes, imagery long associated with racist tropes against Black people.
The roughly one-minute video, posted late Thursday night, centered on false claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential race. Near the end, it abruptly cut to images of the Obamas’ faces superimposed onto cartoon apes while the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” played. The post circulated during Black History Month, which honors the history and contributions of Black Americans. Obama was the nation’s first Black president.
The White House initially defended the post, but it was taken down shortly before noon Friday as criticism mounted.
“A White House staffer erroneously made the post. It has been taken down,” a White House official said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt earlier characterized the video as an internet meme portraying Trump as the “King of the Jungle” and Democrats as characters from “The Lion King,” urging critics to “stop the fake outrage.” She pointed to a video first shared by an X user last October that depicted multiple Democratic figures as animals while Trump appeared as a lion.
Representatives for the Obamas did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The post drew sharp criticism across the political spectrum. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, called it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House” and urged Trump to remove it. Sen. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska said that regardless of intent, “a reasonable person sees the racist context,” and called for an apology.
Rep. Mike Lawler of New York said the post was “wrong and incredibly offensive” and should be deleted immediately with an apology. After the removal, additional Republicans continued to speak out. Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio called the images “offensive, heartbreaking, and unacceptable,” while Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania described the post as “a grave failure of judgment.”
Sen. John Curtis of Utah criticized the delay in removing what he called a “blatantly racist and inexcusable” post, saying it never should have been published or left online as long as it was.
Democratic leaders also responded forcefully. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer labeled the post “racist, vile, and abhorrent,” and demanded an apology to the Obamas. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries described Trump as “vile” and questioned why Republican leaders continued to stand by him.
Trump has increasingly used his Truth Social account to share manipulated and artificial intelligence–generated videos attacking political opponents. Last September, he reposted a doctored clip depicting Jeffries wearing a cartoon sombrero and mustache as mariachi music played.
In a recent interview, Trump acknowledged that he sometimes amplifies election conspiracy theories online, even though he said he does not believe all of them.
During his second term, Trump has moved aggressively to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the federal government and has expanded deportations and restrictive immigration policies. He also has a long history of inflammatory rhetoric targeting immigrants and communities of color and has faced repeated criticism for associating with white nationalists and far-right figures.
The video Trump reposted Thursday focused largely on false claims about voting machine irregularities in the 2020 election. Trump has continued to assert, without evidence, that he won that election. Last week, federal authorities searched and seized 2020 voter records from an elections hub in Fulton County, Georgia, prompting county officials to file a lawsuit seeking their return.
The FBI declined to comment on the search, citing an ongoing investigation.