Donald Trump has posted a video to his followers on Truth Social depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes. The video posted by the President late last night focuses on his accusations of fraud during the 2020 election. An AI clip at the end of the video shows the faces of the former president and first lady imposed on the bodies of apes followed by the The Tokens’ song ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight.’ The clip belongs to a pro-Trump account on X but was reposted by Trump on his Truth Social platform. Trump’s latest swipe at the Obama family sparked widespread condemnation across the political divide.
Trump Sparks Backlash Over Obama-Related Post
‘Disgusting behavior by the President,’ wrote CaliforniaGovernor Gavin Newsom’s press office wrote on X. ‘Every single Republican must denounce this. Now.’ It is unclear if Trump was aware of the Obama imagery. Soon after he posted a video detailing the history of the black conservative movement in the GOP. Trump’s longstanding feud with Barack Obama stretches back decades, beginning when he first promoted claims that the 44th president was born outside the United States. The White House doubled down on Trump’s swipe at the Obama family.
‘This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King,’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Daily Mail. ‘Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.’ Anti-Trump Republicans on X condemned the President’s latest insult, accusing Trump of promoting racist imagery. ‘Trump just posted a video on Truth Social that includes a racist image of Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys. There’s no bottom,’ wrote the account Republicans Against Trump on X.
AI Imagery Used to Amplify Allegations
Since starting his second term, Trump has intensified attacks against on Obama on social media by accusing the former president of ‘treason.’ The President claimed Obama betrayed the US by spying on his presidential campaign over accusations of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Trump has posted AI memes on Truth Social showing Obama’s arrest and imprisonment.
‘This is overt racism. Full stop. There’s no ‘misinterpretation’ and no excuse. This is who he is, who he’s always been, and why he should never be anywhere near power again,’ said Democratic political strategist Adam Parkhomenko on X. Trump’s video of the Obamas has been liked more than 2,500 times and reposted more than 1,100 times on Truth Social. The Daily Mail has contacted the Obamas for comment.
