An artificial intelligence-generated video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as primates was posted on Donald Trump's Truth Social account and removed 12 hours later, after sparking a wave of outrage over its racist content. The digital piece sparked bipartisan condemnation.

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Barack and Michelle Obama, depicted as primates in a jungle in a video created with artificial intelligence, were featured on Donald Trump's Truth Social account. The post remained online for 12 hours before being taken down. By then, it was already a scandal.

The former Democratic president did not comment on the matter nor does he plan to do so, according to an Obama spokesperson. However, both Democrats and Republicans, and even Trump supporters, reacted negatively to the racist post.

For example, Senator Tim Scott, the only Republican of African descent in the Senate, called the post racist and said Trump should remove it.

For his part, Republican Representative Mike Lawler of New York also condemned the publication.

“The president's post is incorrect and incredibly offensive, whether intentional or a mistake, and should be removed immediately with an apology,” Lawler wrote on X.

Likewise, two close allies of the White House in the Senate, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska and Roger Wicker of Mississippi, made public their own calls for Trump to apologize.

The initial defense of the White House

The post was published on Thursday, February 5 and initially defended by the White House, before finally being removed on Friday morning, February 6.

First, press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the "false outrage" generated by the interaction on social networks. The White House later admitted that a staffer had posted the video by mistake.

The digital piece attempted to amplify false claims about the 2020 elections, referring to them being stolen, as well as theories about alleged deliberate manipulation of voting machines in key states, despite the fact that courts across the country and the attorney general of his first term found no evidence of systemic fraud.

The frames, from another independent video previously released by an influential conservative meme creator, show Trump as the "King of the Jungle" and depict Democratic leaders as animals, including Joe Biden, characterized as a primate eating a banana, while the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight plays in the background.

“This comes from an internet meme video that portrays President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King,” the White House press secretary said in a text message to the AP.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris criticized the explanation offered by the White House: "No one believes this White House cover-up, especially after they initially defended the publication. We are all clear about who Donald Trump is and what he believes," she wrote on the social network X.

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Beyond racism and disrespect, the case reveals that the current president of the United States, according to the explanations given, does not directly manage that social media account, but rather has a team in charge of doing so. A debatable practice, but common among heads of state around the world.

However, sources familiar with Trump's social media use told CNN that the president often posts personally on Truth Social, especially late at night and early in the morning.

According to these sources, some close aides, such as Natalie Harp, sometimes write posts that Trump dictates to them; and Dan Scavino — who managed Trump's social media accounts during his first term — also has access.

According to sources cited by CNN, officials, advisors and allies contacted legislators and the media to try to deny any direct involvement of Trump in the episode.

Trump denies responsibility and refuses to apologize

Donald Trump stated that same Friday, while flying to Florida, that he will not apologize for publishing the video: "I made no mistake."

"I liked the beginning. I watched it and just shared it, and I guess no one probably reviewed the ending," he added.

South Carolina preacher Mark Burns, a Trump ally, said he spoke to the president that Friday about the video and urged him to fire the person who posted it.

"My recommendation to the president was direct and firm. That staffer should be fired immediately and the president should publicly condemn this action."

Attacks against Barack Obama

There is a history of inflammatory and racist attacks promoted by Trump against Obama. The current head of state of the United States has pushed the false claim that Barack Obama was not born in the United States and has made crude generalizations about black-majority countries.

In 2025, President Trump released an apparently AI-generated video showing Barack Obama being arrested in the Oval Office.

This time, the racist post depicting the former US president and his wife as primates was published during the first week of Black History Month, just days after a proclamation by Trump praising "the contributions of black Americans to our national greatness" and "the American principles of freedom, justice and equality."

With AP and local media

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