Outrage as Trump Shares Video Depicting Obamas as Monkeys

The United States President Donald Trump has sparked global outrage after posting a controversial video on his Truth Social platform depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as monkeys.

The video, shared late Thursday night, was ostensibly linked to Trump’s repeated, description that the 2020 U.S. presidential election was rigged.

Near the end of the short clip, viewers see AI-generated imagery of the Obamas’ faces superimposed on apes in a jungle scene, complete with the tune of The Lion Sleeps Tonight playing in the background.

Critics were swift and scathing in their denunciation. Ally to President Obama and current California Governor Gavin Newsom called the post “disgusting behaviour by the President”, urging that “every single Republican must denounce this now.”

Former Obama national security aide Ben Rhodes claims the act is an evidence that, “future Americans will embrace the Obamas as beloved figures while studying Trump as a stain on our history.”

Some civil rights advocates highlighted the deeply offensive nature of equating people with apes. The timing of the post, during Black History Month, amplified the backlash.

Senator Tim Scott, a Republican, wrote that he was “praying” the video was fake because it was “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.” Meanwhile, the group Republicans Against Trump described the post as overtly racist, saying “there’s no bottom.”

In defence, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the criticism as “fake outrage,” insisting the animation was simply a meme portraying Trump as “King of the Jungle” and Democrats as caricatures akin to characters from The Lion King.

She urged media and critics to “report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”

Donald Trump had earlier on Thursday blasted the media, accusing them of not understanding his sense of humor during a lighthearted moment about his faith.

“I said, ‘I’m never gonna make it to heaven, I just don’t think I qualify.’ And the New York Times did a front-page story that Donald Trump is questioning his life and the meaning of his life.”

“No, I was just having fun! I mean, I’m not a perfect candidate, but I did a hell of a lot of good for perfect people,” Trump said during the 74th National Prayer Breakfast.

The Obamas themselves have not publicly responded to the post.

The controversy has reignited discussions about the role of racial imagery in political communication, the responsibility of public figures in shaping discourse, and the broader impact of social media in amplifying provocative and polarising content.

As reactions continue to pour in from around the world, commentators warn that such imagery undermines efforts to foster respectful engagement between political opponents and further strains national conversations about race and leadership in the United States.