Trump Sparks Outrage by Sharing Video Depicting the Obamas as Apes

President Donald Trump sparked outrage on February 6, 2026, after posting a video on his Truth Social account that briefly shows former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes. This imagery is a historically racist trope that dehumanizes Black people.

The footage is part of a longer clip promoting false 2020 election conspiracy theories. It appears at the end of a roughly one-minute video and lasts only a moment, but its impact has been significant.

The clip’s inclusion of the Obamas, the first Black president and first lady in U.S. history, drew quick condemnation from across the political spectrum.

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office called the imagery “disgusting behavior,” urging Republicans to speak out against it. Former Obama national security aide Ben Rhodes described the post as a “stain on history.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the post, dismissing criticisms as “fake outrage.” She labeled the video an internet meme that shows Trump as “King of the Jungle” and Democrats as characters from The Lion King.

She urged the media to focus on “something that actually matters to the American public.”

The video recirculates long-standing false claims about ballot-counting machines switching votes in key states during the 2020 election. It also attracted attention due to Trump’s history of provocative online posts and previous use of AI-generated political content.

Sharing such imagery adds to a deeply offensive narrative, especially when racial tensions remain a major concern in American politics.

Though Trump did not directly address the backlash, the incident has reopened discussions about racism, political discourse, and the responsibilities of public figures in digital communications.

Whether or not the video was fully viewed before posting, its political and cultural repercussions continue to unfold.