PresidentDonald Trump's bid to rebut claims of racism has exploded into a major political controversy after a social media post he shared that depicted former PresidentBarack Obamaand former First LadyMichelle Obamain deeply offensive imagery drew widespread condemnation.
In a series of posts on his Truth Social account, Trump sought to portray himself as not racist by highlighting past associations with prominent Black figures. That effort, however, followed an earlier post that many critics called a racist portrayal of the Obamas and was deleted after intense backlash.
The controversy began when a roughly 62-second video was posted on Mr Trump's Truth Social account late on the evening of 5 February 2026. The clip combined false assertions about the 2020 US election with a brief sequence showing the faces of Barack and Michelle Obama superimposed on animated primates as the song 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' played in the background.
The imagery invoked a long-standing racist trope historically used to dehumanise Black people, and its appearance during Black History Month amplified the intensity of the reaction.
At first, theWhite Housepress secretary defended the post as an 'internet meme' portraying Trump as 'King of the Jungle' and other political figures as characters reminiscent of a Disney film. That defence did little to quell criticism.
Hours later, the post was removed from Trump's account. A White House official then claimed the video had been shared in error by a staffer, without providing the individual's name or role.
Criticism came from across the political spectrum. Republican Senator Tim Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate and an ally of Mr Trump, wrote on social media that it was 'the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House' and called on the president to remove it.
Democratic leaders, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, also condemned the post, characterising it as demeaning and demanding accountability.
The NAACP labelled the depiction 'blatantly racist', pointing to its harmful historical associations.
Trump posted a disgustingly racist video depicting the Obamas as apes.Are my Republican colleagues going to continue to bend the knee to a racist, authoritarian president who wants the American people to bow down before him?pic.twitter.com/GO9h5A2ah8
Source: International Business Times UK
