Updated 7 February 2026 at 01:08 IST
Outrage After Barack Obama, His Wife Portrayed As Apes In Racist Video Shared By Trump
US President Donald Trump has again landed himself in a pit of controversy after sharing a video in which former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama were portrayed as apes while the tune of ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ song played in the background.
Washington DC: US President Donald Trump has again landed himself in a pit of controversy after sharing a video in which former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama were portrayed as apes while the tune of ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ song played in the background. The video triggered massive backlash, with people accusing Trump of being racist.
The video, which was shared on Trump's Truth Social account, was on the allegation that the 2020 US Presidential elections, in which Trump was defeated by Joe Biden, was rigged. The video ended with an AI-generated visuals of the Obamas laughing. The video bore the watermark of Patriot News Outlet.
The Obamas have not yet released an official statement regarding the viral video.
Backlash Over ‘Disgusting’ Video
Tim Scott, who belongs to Trump's Republican Party, said that the President must remove the video. In a post on X, Scott, who is Black, said, “Praying it was fake because it's the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House. The President should remove it.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom said that Trump's post was a “disgusting behaviour”. He added, “Every single Republican must denounce this. Now.”
President of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Derrick Johnson called the video "disgusting and utterly despicable". He claimed that it was Trump's attempt to distract people from Epstein files.
He added, “You know who isn't in the Epstein files? Barack Obama. You know who actually improved the economy as president? Barack Obama.”
Video Deleted Hours Later
The White House downplayed Trump's actions. According to BBC, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the video is from “an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King”. She added, “Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”
Following massive backlash, the video was deleted from Trump's account. According to Variety, a White House official claimed that a staffer had erroneously posted the video on Trump's account.
WATCH
Published By : Nidhi Sinha
Published On: 6 February 2026 at 23:02 IST