Trump deletes video showing Obamas as monkeys after backlash

Trump racist video post depicting the Obamas triggers bipartisan outrage before the White House deletes it and blames a staff error

President Donald Trump faced intense bipartisan backlash after sharing a video on his Truth Social account that depicted former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as monkeys, before the White House deleted the post and attributed it to a staff error.

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The video, posted late Thursday night, promoted conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election and briefly showed the Obamas’ faces superimposed on the bodies of monkeys.

The imagery, widely condemned as racist, remained visible for nearly 12 hours before it was removed.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt initially dismissed criticism as “fake outrage,” describing the clip as an internet meme portraying Trump as a jungle king and Democrats as characters from a popular animated film.

Hours later, however, a White House official told AFP that a staff member had “erroneously” made the post and confirmed it had been taken down.

The reversal was notable for an administration that rarely concedes mistakes. There was no immediate response from the Obamas.

Democrats swiftly condemned the post. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries described Trump as “vile, unhinged and malignant” and urged Republican lawmakers to denounce what he called “disgusting bigotry.”

Criticism also emerged from within Trump’s own party. Senator Tim Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, called the video “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House” and urged its removal.

Senator Roger Wicker said the post was “totally unacceptable” and called on the president to apologise.

The incident revived scrutiny of Trump’s long history of racially charged rhetoric, including his promotion of the false “birther” conspiracy theory questioning Obama’s birthplace.

It also highlighted Trump’s growing use of hyper-realistic, AI-generated visuals on social media to attack critics and energise supporters.

One such account previously shared other fabricated clips circulated by Trump, including altered videos targeting political opponents.

Critics argue that the provocative content has become a recurring feature of Trump’s online presence since returning to office.

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The controversy comes amid wider criticism of Trump’s stance on diversity, equity and inclusion policies and his administration’s broader cultural battles over race and civil rights in the United States.

Quadri Olaitan