Trump Denies Seeing Racist Clip Depicting Obamas as Apes in Controversial Video

Mon Feb 09 2026 01:03:43 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a recent controversy, President Donald Trump claimed he was unaware of a racist depiction of Barack and Michelle Obama in a video he shared on social media, leading to backlash from both sides of the political spectrum.

President Donald Trump stated he did not see a racist clip in a video he circulated that featured depictions of Barack and Michelle Obama as apes. The video, which included claims of voter fraud, drew criticism from various quarters, including Republican Senator Tim Scott. Despite backlash and calls for an apology, Trump maintained that he did not make a mistake in sharing the clip.

US President Donald Trump has said he didn't see the part of a social media video which showed a racist clip depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes.

The clip - set to the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight - was at the end of a 62-second video he shared containing claims about voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. The video was later removed.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump stated, I didn't make a mistake when asked whether he was going to apologize.

He added he had only seen the beginning of the video before it was posted by a staff member and didn't know it contained the offensive depiction of the Obamas.

Republican Senator Tim Scott - who is black - described it as the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House.

The White House initially defended the clip as an internet meme video and told critics to stop the fake outrage. However, after fierce backlash, the post was removed from Trump's Truth Social account, with officials stating it was an erroneous post made by a staff member.

The video, reminiscent of racist caricatures comparing black people to monkeys, features several other high-profile Democrats depicted as animals, such as New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, was similarly depicted as an ape eating a banana. The Obamas have yet to comment on the video.

The clip was one of many charged posts shared by Trump on his Truth Social account. Trump asserted he liked the video's message about voter fraud but admitted if his staff had viewed it more thoroughly, they likely would have removed it sooner. He noted, We took it down as soon as we found out about it.

The controversy has been compounded by criticism from members of Trump's own party, with various Republican leaders calling the post deeply offensive and calling for immediate retraction and apology.

Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, condemned the video as disgusting and utterly despicable. Former members of the Obama administration, including Ben Rhodes, criticized Trump and highlighted the historical context behind such depictions.

Trump's history of racially charged rhetoric towards Obama further complicates the situation, with the video being seen as another chapter in a long history of divisive politics.