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Trump Deletes Racist Social Media Post Amid Bipartisan Backlash
President Donald Trump’s social media post depicting former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama as primates in a jungle setting was deleted Friday following widespread condemnation from both Republicans and Democrats, who denounced the imagery as deeply offensive and racist.
The controversial post, shared on Trump’s Truth Social account Thursday night, was part of a 62-second video primarily focused on false claims about the 2020 election. In the final seconds, it briefly showed jungle primates with the Obamas’ faces superimposed on them. The White House later attributed the post to a staff error, though Trump himself refused to apologize.
“I didn’t make a mistake,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One Friday night. He claimed he liked the beginning of the video about alleged election fraud and “just passed it on,” suggesting no one had reviewed the entire content before posting.
The White House initially dismissed criticism as “fake outrage” before changing course. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt first defended the post as “an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King,” though Disney’s “Lion King” is set on the savannah, not in a jungle, and does not feature great apes.
The incident has raised questions about control and oversight of the president’s social media accounts, which he regularly uses for major policy announcements and political messaging. The White House did not immediately clarify its vetting process for presidential posts or specify when content comes directly from Trump himself.
Condemnation came swiftly from across the political spectrum. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, the Senate’s lone Black Republican, called it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House” and urged its removal. Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker, a Republican representing the state with the highest percentage of Black residents, called the post “totally unacceptable” and said Trump should apologize.
The backlash represents a rare instance of Republican lawmakers publicly criticizing Trump, who typically maintains tight control over his party through endorsements and the threat of public feuds with those who challenge him.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson called the video “utterly despicable” and suggested Trump was attempting to distract from economic issues and attention on the Jeffrey Epstein case files. “You know who isn’t in the Epstein files? Barack Obama. You know who actually improved the economy as president? Barack Obama,” Johnson stated.
The incident occurred during the first week of Black History Month, just days after Trump issued a proclamation citing “the contributions of Black Americans to our national greatness” and “the American principles of liberty, justice, and equality.”
The post follows a pattern of inflammatory and racially charged rhetoric from Trump. During his current campaign, he has claimed immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country,” language reminiscent of Adolf Hitler’s dehumanizing rhetoric against Jews. During his first term, Trump referred to majority-Black developing nations as “shithole countries” and was a leading proponent of the false “birther” conspiracy theory that questioned Obama’s American citizenship.
In Atlanta, Reverend Bernice King, daughter of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., responded by affirming: “Black Americans are beloved of God as postal workers and professors, as a former first lady and president. We are not apes.”
The dehumanizing comparison of Black people to apes has deep roots in America’s racist history, dating back to 18th-century pseudo-scientific theories used to justify slavery and later to portray freed Black people as uncivilized threats to white Americans.
At a Black History Month market in Harlem, vendor Jacklyn Monk expressed embarrassment over the post. “The guy needs help. I’m sorry he’s representing our country… It’s horrible that it was this month, but it would be horrible if it was in March also.”
A spokesperson for Obama said the former president had no response to the incident.
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10 Comments
This is a highly offensive and racist post. Using primate imagery to demean the first Black president and his wife is appalling and unacceptable, regardless of political affiliation. I’m glad it was removed, but the damage is done.
I agree, this kind of blatant racism has no place in civil discourse. The White House’s initial defense of the post is also deeply concerning.
I’m curious to know more about the specific allegations of election fraud referenced in the original video. While I don’t condone the racist imagery, I think it’s important to address any legitimate concerns about the electoral process.
I understand the desire to scrutinize election integrity, but using racist tropes undermines any valid points. Fact-based, non-partisan analysis is the only way to build trust in the system.
This episode highlights the deep divisions and lack of civility in American politics. I hope we can move beyond these types of inflammatory tactics and focus on substantive issues that matter to all citizens.
I agree completely. Resorting to racist and dehumanizing attacks is a disturbing new low, even for this administration. We need to raise the level of discourse.
While I’m no fan of the Obamas’ politics, using racist imagery to attack them is completely unacceptable. This type of behavior should be condemned across the political spectrum. We need to be better than this as a country.
I respect your perspective, even if we disagree on policy. Racism and dehumanization have no place in healthy political discourse, no matter one’s ideological leanings.
Spreading disinformation and racist propaganda should never be tolerated, even from the highest levels of government. I hope this incident leads to a much-needed reckoning on the corrosive effects of hate and extremism in American politics.
Well said. Leaders should be held accountable for promoting harmful rhetoric and content, regardless of their party affiliation.