White House Downplays Trump's Racist Video Depicting Obamas As Apes, Then Blames Staff

Washington DC: A highly controversial video shared on US President Donald Trump’s social media account, depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes, prompted the White House to step in to damage control the situation with an attempt to downplay the act. Hours later, the video was ultimately deleted amid massive outrage and the blame was shifted to a staff member.

The clip stirred a furious backlash, with lawmakers, the American public, and even leaders of Trump's Republican Party condemning the post as disgusting and "racist". Republican Senator Tim Scott condemned the video, asserting it was "the most racist thing I've seen in a long time", while others supported his words, publicly distancing themselves from the president's actions.

Reportedly, the video's removal came only after intense criticism, leaving many wondering how such a blatant display of racism was allowed to occur. The incident has further stirred tensions surrounding Trump's social media presence and his administration's handling of racial issues, with the Obamas known for their dignified response to racist attacks, yet to comment on the matter.

White House officials said the video was posted erroneously by a staffer and was removed once senior officials became aware of the backlash.

Before the video was deleted, the White House attempted to downplay the incident. According to the 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”.

The video, which was shared on Trump's Truth Social account, was based on the allegation that the 2020 US Presidential elections, in which Trump was defeated by Joe Biden, were rigged. The video ended with AI-generated visuals of the Obamas laughing, as the tune of ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ played in the background.

Monkey or ape-like illustrations are traditionally considered racist since they associate Black people with primates. Barack Obama, the first Black President of the United States, has not yet released an official statement regarding the viral video.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said that Trump's post was “disgusting behaviour”. He added, “Every single Republican must denounce this. Now.”

President of the 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 the 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.”

This is not the first time Trump has faced accusations of racist rhetoric. Earlier, he suggested that immigrants have "bad genes".

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