President Donald Trump on Thursday posted a video on his social media platform that included a brief clip depicting former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama with their faces superimposed onto bodies of apes in a jungle scene, drawing widespread condemnation from political leaders and civil rights advocates.
The one-minute video, shared on Trump’s Truth Social account late Thursday, primarily amplified debunked election fraud claims about the 2020 presidential election. Near the end of the clip, for about one second, it shows the Obamas’ faces on dancing primates with the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” playing in the background.
The imagery invoked a historically racist trope that equates Black people with animals, a comparison widely condemned as dehumanizing. Critics described the post as “racist” and “disgusting” in public statements.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office posted on X, “Disgusting behavior by the President. Every single Republican must denounce this. Now.” Former Obama Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes wrote on social media that the episode would “haunt Trump and his racist followers” and called for accountability from leaders across the political spectrum.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the posting in a statement to CNN, calling the reaction “fake outrage” and saying the imagery came from “an internet meme video.” She described the content as a depiction of Trump as “the King of the Jungle” and Democrats as characters from The Lion King, urging critics to focus on other issues.
The video’s origins appear linked to third-party online creators, yet it was shared directly by Trump in a series of posts that also included other controversial content.
Trump’s decision to share the video adds to longstanding debates about race and political discourse. During Barack Obama’s presidency, Trump promoted the unfounded “birther” conspiracy alleging Obama was not born in the United States. His critics say the latest episode reflects a pattern of racially charged conduct.
The Obamas have not publicly responded to the video as of Friday morning.
