Trump Shares Racist Video Depicting Obamas as Apes, Faces Backlash/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ President Donald Trump shared a video on social media containing racist imagery depicting Barack Obama and Michelle Obama as primates. The post reignited criticism of Trump’s history of racially charged rhetoric and election conspiracy claims. The White House dismissed the backlash, while critics called the imagery dehumanizing and offensive.
Trump Shares Racist Video: Quick Looks
- Trump reposts video depicting Obamas as primates
- Clip tied to false 2020 election conspiracy theories
- Backlash swift over racist and dehumanizing imagery
- White House dismisses criticism as “fake outrage”
- Video originated from conservative meme content
- Trump offered no explanation or comment in post
- Critics cite long pattern of racially charged rhetoric
Deep Look: Trump Shares Racist Video Depicting Obamas as Apes, Faces Backlash
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump sparked widespread condemnation Thursday night after sharing a social media video promoting election conspiracy theories that included a racist depiction of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as primates in a jungle setting.
The brief clip, posted to Trump’s Truth Social account, was part of a broader overnight surge of posts amplifying his repeated false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Those claims have been rejected by courts nationwide and by Trump’s own attorney general during his first administration.
The video itself runs just over a minute. Most of its content centers on allegations of tampering with voting machines in key battleground states. Near the end of the clip, however, a short scene shows two primates with the Obamas’ faces digitally imposed — imagery that critics immediately denounced as racist and dehumanizing.
The White House moved quickly to dismiss the backlash. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the post, saying it was part of a meme portraying Trump as the “King of the Jungle” and Democrats as characters inspired by The Lion King. She urged critics to “stop the fake outrage” and focus on other issues.
Trump did not offer any explanation or commentary alongside the video.
An Obama spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The imagery originated from a longer conservative meme video that has circulated online previously. That video depicts multiple Democratic leaders as animals, including former President Joe Biden, who is white, shown as a primate. Still, civil rights advocates and political critics said the depiction of the nation’s first Black president and first lady carried a uniquely racist and historically charged meaning.
The group Republicans Against Trump condemned the post, calling it evidence of Trump’s willingness to cross moral boundaries. “There’s no bottom,” the group said in a statement.
Trump and official White House social media accounts have increasingly shared memes and artificial intelligence–generated content, often brushing off criticism by framing the posts as humor or political satire.
The controversy also renewed scrutiny of Trump’s long record of racially inflammatory language. During his 2024 campaign, Trump said immigrants were “poisoning the blood of our country,” rhetoric historians have compared to language used by Adolf Hitler to dehumanize Jews in Nazi Germany.
During his first term, Trump referred to predominantly Black and developing nations as “shithole countries,” a comment he initially denied making but later acknowledged in late 2025.
Trump also played a central role in promoting the false “birther” conspiracy theory during Obama’s presidency, repeatedly claiming Obama was born in Kenya and therefore constitutionally ineligible to serve. Obama eventually released his Hawaii birth records. Trump later conceded Obama was born in the United States but falsely blamed Hillary Clinton for starting the conspiracy.
Critics say the latest post reinforces concerns that Trump continues to rely on divisive rhetoric and racially charged imagery as political tools, even as he occupies the presidency once again.
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