US President Donald Trump’s social media account on Friday took down an AI-generated video depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes, following strong criticism from politicians and commentators.
Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina said on X that he hoped the video was fake, calling it the most racist content he had seen from the White House and urging the president to remove it. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries also condemned the post, saying the Obamas “represent the best of this country” and calling on all Republicans to denounce what he described as Trump’s “disgusting bigotry.”
According to Axios, the clip was part of a longer video produced by a pro-MAGA meme account and was shared on Trump’s Truth Social platform at 11:44 pm Eastern Time on Thursday. The post remained online for about 12 hours before being removed.
The longer video also featured other Democratic figures, including former President Joe Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Trump endorses Japan’s PM Takaichi ahead of snap election
Earlier, White House officials had defended the post. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said it originated from an internet meme portraying President Trump as the “King of the Jungle” and Democrats as characters from The Lion King.
US media outlets and commentators have repeatedly described Trump’s rhetoric and related content as racist.