Trump posts former President Obama and Michelle Obama as monkeys in racist video

Trump posts former President Obama and Michelle Obama as monkeys in racist video clip

On February 6, 2026, United States President Donald Trump posted a video on the social media platform Truth Social that included a brief segment depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama with their faces superimposed onto the bodies of monkeys. The video was shared as part of a longer clip promoting false claims about the 2020 U.S. election.

The depiction of the Obamas was widely condemned as racist by lawmakers, civil rights groups, and commentators. Republican Senator Tim Scott publicly called for the removal of the post, and criticism came from both Democratic and Republican figures. The imagery drew attention because of historical associations of dehumanizing Black people by comparing them to primates.

The White House initially defended the post as an internet meme portraying Trump as “King of the Jungle” and members of the Democratic Party as characters from “The Lion King.” The video was later deleted, and officials said it was posted in error by a staffer. President Trump stated he had not seen the full video before it was posted and refused to apologize for the content.