Donald Trump has removed a controversial video that portrayed Barack and Michelle Obama as apes after facing intense criticism from key Republican figures.
The video, shared by the President late last night, centered on his allegations of fraud in the 2020 election.
Concluding the clip was an AI-generated segment that displayed the Obamas’ faces superimposed on the bodies of apes, accompanied by The Tokens’ track, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”
A White House representative informed the Daily Mail on Friday that the post was mistakenly made by a staff member and has since been deleted, though they declined to identify the individual responsible for the late-night posting.
This reversal occurred just hours after press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Trump’s attack on the Obama family, dismissing critics’ responses as mere “fake outrage.”
Leavitt explained to the Daily Mail that the video originated from an internet meme portraying President Trump as the “King of the Jungle,” with Democrats depicted as characters from “The Lion King.”
‘Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.’
Trump deleted his post after South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate, called it ‘the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.’
The President received widespread backlash after he posted a video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes
US President Donald Trump signs a funding bill to end a partial government shutdown in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 3
President Barack Obama (R) and first lady Michelle Obama walk across the South Lawn after returning to the White House on Marine One July 12, 2016 in Washington, DC
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C,. on February 5
The clip belongs to a pro-Trump account on X but was reposted by the President on his Truth Social platform.
Other prominent Republican senators joined Scott in demanding Trump take down the video.
Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi posted on X: ‘This is totally unacceptable. The president should take it down and apologize.’
Senator Pete Ricketts of Nebraska wrote: ‘Even if this was a Lion King meme, a reasonable person sees the racist context to this. The White House should do what anyone does when they make a mistake: remove this and apologize.’
Trump’s video sparked condemnation from the senators’ Democratic colleagues.
‘Disgusting behavior by the President,’ wrote California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office wrote on X. ‘Every single Republican must denounce this. Now.’
Democratic political strategist Adam Parkhomenko posted: ‘This is overt racism. Full stop. There’s no “misinterpretation” and no excuse. This is who he is, who he’s always been, and why he should never be anywhere near power again.’
Trump’s longstanding feud with Obama stretches back decades, beginning when he first promoted claims that the 44th president was born outside the United States.
Since starting his second term, Trump has intensified attacks against Obama on social media by accusing the former president of ‘treason’.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-SC, walks to the Senate Chamber as the Senate votes on a series of government funding bills at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on Friday, January 30
The President claimed Obama betrayed the US by spying on his presidential campaign over accusations of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Trump has posted AI memes on Truth Social showing Obama’s arrest and imprisonment.
Trump’s video of the Obamas has been liked more than 2,500 times and reposted more than 1,100 times on Truth Social.
The Daily Mail has contacted the Obamas for comment.
