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In a rare backtrack, the White House deleted a social media post from President Donald Trump’s Truth Social account that depicted former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as primates in a jungle, following widespread condemnation across the political spectrum.
The controversial post, shared Thursday night, was removed Friday after drawing sharp criticism from both Democrats and Republicans who denounced it as racist. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt initially dismissed concerns as “fake outrage,” describing the content as “an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King.”
Hours later, the administration changed course, blaming a staffer for the error and taking down the post. A spokeswoman for former President Obama indicated he would not comment on the matter.
The 62-second clip was primarily focused on false claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential election, with the final seconds showing two primates with the Obamas’ faces superimposed on them. The imagery appeared to be taken from a separate video created by a conservative meme maker that portrays Trump as “King of the Jungle” and various Democratic leaders, including President Joe Biden, as animals.
The timing of the post was particularly jarring, coming during the first week of Black History Month and shortly after a presidential proclamation acknowledging “the contributions of black Americans to our national greatness.”
Condemnation came swiftly from across the political landscape. Bernice King, daughter of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., responded by quoting her father: “Yes. I’m Black. I’m proud of it. I’m Black and beautiful.” She emphasized that Black Americans are “diverse, innovative, industrious, inventive” and “not apes.”
Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, the only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate, called for the post’s removal, describing it as “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.” Fellow Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi labeled the post “totally unacceptable” and urged the president to apologize.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson issued a statement calling Trump’s video “blatantly racist, disgusting, and utterly despicable,” suggesting the president was attempting to distract from economic issues and the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Historians note that associating Black people with primates has deep roots in America’s racist past. This dehumanizing practice dates back to 18th-century pseudo-scientific theories used to justify slavery and later to portray freed Black people as uncivilized. Even Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, perpetuated such racism in his writings.
This incident adds to President Trump’s history of controversial rhetoric regarding race and the Obamas specifically. During Obama’s presidency, Trump was the most prominent proponent of the false “birtherism” conspiracy theory, repeatedly questioning whether Obama was born in the United States. While Trump eventually acknowledged Obama’s American birth during the 2016 campaign, he falsely claimed Hillary Clinton had started the rumors.
Trump’s administration frequently reposts memes and AI-generated videos on official accounts, with staff typically dismissing criticism by framing such content as humor. However, the deletion of this particular post represents an unusual acknowledgment of error from the White House, which rarely backtracks on controversial statements.
The episode highlights ongoing tensions around race in American politics and raises questions about the oversight of official presidential communications in the social media age.
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10 Comments
As someone who closely follows news on mining, commodities, and energy, I’m disappointed to see this kind of distraction from the real policy issues that matter. Voters deserve leaders who will focus on substantive challenges facing the country, not engage in divisive and hateful rhetoric.
Absolutely. Responsible governance requires addressing the concerns of all citizens, not promoting harmful stereotypes. I hope this incident encourages our leaders to raise the level of political discourse.
As a citizen, I’m deeply troubled by the normalization of this kind of overtly racist content in our political discourse. We must hold our leaders to a higher standard and demand that they uphold the democratic values of equality and respect for all people.
Well said. Maintaining a healthy, functional democracy requires vigilance against the spread of hateful ideologies and a commitment to inclusive, ethical governance.
This is a deeply disturbing and racist post. Depicting the Obamas as primates is an offensive and dehumanizing tactic that has long been used to demean and marginalize Black people. I’m glad the White House removed it, but the fact that it was posted in the first place is very concerning.
Agreed. This kind of blatantly racist content has no place in political discourse and should be universally condemned.
I would encourage the White House to issue a sincere, unequivocal apology for this post. Merely removing it is not enough – they need to take accountability and demonstrate a clear commitment to combating racism and racial injustice going forward.
That’s a fair point. A genuine apology, along with concrete steps to address the underlying issues, would go a long way in restoring public trust and signaling a change in approach.
I’m curious to hear more about the wider context around this incident. What are the potential legal and political implications for the White House and the president? And how might this impact public perceptions of the administration?
Those are good questions. The White House’s response, from initially dismissing concerns to then removing the post, suggests they recognized the severity of the situation and wanted to limit the fallout. But the damage to their credibility and reputation may already be done.