Former President Donald Trump faced backlash for sharing a video on his Truth Social platform that depicted Barack and Michelle Obama as apes. Initially defended by the White House, the video was later removed, citing a staffer’s mistake.
The video, featuring Tight Fit’s The Lion Sleeps Tonight, was part of a larger clip promoting Trump’s unfounded claims of election fraud. Despite widespread criticism, the White House left the post up for over 12 hours before taking it down.
Trump’s history of racially charged rhetoric, including promoting false claims about Obama’s birthplace and making derogatory remarks about people of Somali descent, has drawn condemnation from both political figures and advocacy groups. This incident is a reflection of a troubling pattern of racism in powerful white figures linking Black individuals to animals, perpetuating harmful stereotypes rooted in historical racism.
Republican Senator Tim Scott and groups like Republicans Against Trump denounced the video as racist, highlighting the need to address and combat such harmful narratives.