Trump sparks outrage after sharing video portraying Barack, Michelle Obama as monkeys
Former US President Donald Trump has drawn widespread condemnation after sharing a controversial video on his Truth Social platform that depicts former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as monkeys.
The video, which was posted on Thursday, contains a montage promoting unfounded claims about the 2020 US presidential election. Near the end of the clip, the Obamas appear briefly with their faces superimposed on the bodies of primates, a portrayal widely criticised as racist and demeaning.
The post triggered swift backlash from political leaders, civil rights groups and social media users across the United States. Critics described the imagery as offensive and inappropriate, noting that comparisons of Black people to animals have long been used as a racist trope.
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Several Democratic figures and advocacy organisations condemned the post, accusing Trump of deliberately amplifying racial hatred and deepening political and social divisions. Some Republican commentators also expressed discomfort with the video, urging restraint and accountability in political messaging.
In response to the backlash, the White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, defended the post, describing the video as an “internet meme” that portrayed Trump as the “King of the Jungle” while casting other political figures as symbolic characters. She dismissed criticism of the post as exaggerated and politically motivated.
The video was shared amid a series of late-night posts by Trump promoting election-related conspiracy theories, despite repeated court rulings and official findings that rejected claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.
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As of the time of reporting, Barack and Michelle Obama had not publicly reacted to the video, and it remained unclear whether Trump intended to remove or amend the post.
The incident has renewed debate in the United States over the use of social media by political figures, the limits of political expression, and the impact of racially charged content on public discourse.
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