U.S. President Donald Trump has refused to apologize after sharing a social media video that depicted former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes.
The video, set to The Lion Sleeps Tonight, was attached to the end of a 62-second clip Trump posted on Truth Social containing claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election.
It was later removed following widespread condemnation.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday, February 6, Trump insisted: “I didn’t make a mistake.” He explained that he had only watched the beginning of the video before a staff member posted it.
“I look at a lot of thousands of things. I gave it to the people who generally, they look at the whole thing. We took it down as soon as we found out about it,” Trump said.
He added that he liked the video’s message on voter fraud but admitted his staff should have screened the entire clip before posting.
White House Reaction
Initially, the White House defended the post, calling it an “internet meme video” and dismissing criticism as “fake outrage.” However, after strong backlash—including from several Republican senators—the video was deleted.
A White House official later said a staffer had “erroneously” made the post.
Republican Senator Tim Scott, who is Black, described the video as “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.”
The video also depicted other prominent Democrats as animals, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Zohran Mamdani, Hillary Clinton, and President Joe Biden, who was shown as an ape eating a banana.
The imagery recalls racist caricatures historically used to demean Black people by comparing them to monkeys.
Obama Foundation’s Response
While the Obamas themselves have not commented, the Obama Foundation appeared to issue a subtle rebuttal.
On social media, it shared a video retrospective of Barack and Michelle’s relationship with the caption: “Love is beautiful.”
The post, widely interpreted as a dignified counter to Trump’s attack, highlighted the couple’s enduring partnership rather than engaging directly with the derogatory imagery.
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