President Donald Trump ignited outrage during Black History Month after sharing a racist video depicting former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes — imagery rooted in centuries-old efforts to dehumanize Black people.
Civil rights leaders swiftly condemned the post, calling it an unmistakable act of racism.
“Donald Trump’s video is blatantly racist, disgusting, and utterly despicable,” said Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP. “Voters are watching and will remember this at the ballot box.”
The clip appeared at the end of a minute-long video Trump shared on his Truth Social account that promoted conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election. For several seconds, the Obamas’ faces were superimposed onto the bodies of dancing primates as the song, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” played in the background.
The imagery reflects a long-standing racist trope historically used to portray Black people as less than human — a tool of propaganda once employed to justify enslavement, segregation and racial violence.
The post drew backlash across party lines, including from Sen. Tim Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate.
“Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House,” Scott wrote on X. “The President should remove it.”
Other Republican lawmakers also criticized the video, calling it offensive and urging Trump to delete it and issue an apology.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the criticism, saying the clip was taken from an internet meme portraying Trump as the “King of the Jungle” and Democrats as characters from “The Lion King.”
“Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public,” Leavitt said.
The clip appears to have originated from a longer animation circulating online since at least October that depicts Trump as a lion while showing several prominent Democrats as various jungle animals. In that version, the Obamas are portrayed as apes and the characters eventually bow to Trump.
Following mounting criticism, the video was deleted from Trump’s Truth Social account. According to CNN, the White House later said a staff member had shared the post in error.
Representatives for the Obamas declined to comment.
The episode adds to a long history of racially charged rhetoric and imagery associated with Trump, who has repeatedly promoted false claims about Obama’s birthplace and shared inflammatory memes targeting Black political leaders and critics.
The timing of the post — shared during the first week of Black History Month — further intensified condemnation from civil rights advocates and political leaders, many of whom said it underscored how racist symbolism continues to surface in modern political discourse.