Donald Trump’s social media account on Truth Social shared a video that inserted brief footage showing the Obamas’ faces superimposed on apes in a jungle.
Critics across the political spectrum condemned the imagery as racist and offensive, given the long history of dehumanising Black people through comparisons to primates.
The video drew bipartisan criticism, including from Republican figures such as Sen. Tim Scott, who called it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House,” and others who urged its removal.
Democrats, civil rights groups, and commentators also denounced the post as dehumanising, racist tropes. Initially, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the criticism as “fake outrage,” claiming it came from an “internet meme.”
Later on Friday, the post was taken down, with the White House saying it had been erroneously posted by a staffer and was not an intentional action by the president.
This incident occurred during Black History Month and compounds ongoing concerns from opponents about Trump’s use of incendiary imagery and rhetoric in political messaging.
Trump has a history of racial controversies in his public communications, and this episode has intensified debate about the normalization of racially charged content in political discourse.
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