Donald Trump Brands Michelle Obama 'Racist' Weeks After POTUS Shared 'Ape' Video

The screen grab looked like just another late-night bout of political sludge until the names involved — and what had already happened this month — were recalled. President Donald Trump, never shy about punching down from behind a phone screen, has now amplified a post calling former first lady Michelle Obama an 'anti-White racist,' only weeks after his Truth Social feed circulated a grotesque video depicting the Obamas as apes.

For those attempting to keep the sequence straight, it runs as follows: Trump shared Laura Loomer's claim about Michelle Obama; he added his own demand directed at Netflix and Susan Rice; and he remains publicly defiant about the earlier 'ape' video, insisting he 'didn't make a mistake.'

Donald Trump, Michelle Obama and a Familiar Online Playbook

Trump's latest jab arrived via a re-share on Truth Social of a post by far-right activist Laura Loomer that labeled Michelle Obama an 'anti-White racist.' Loomer's original rant was not even primarily about the former first lady; it was a sprawling attack on Netflix, tied to Loomer's complaint that the company would need presidential approval for a merger with Warner Bros. and warning that the Obamas' 'liberal agenda' would be turbocharged through streaming.​​

Loomer wrote: 'If the Netflix-Warner Bros. merger is approved, positive messaging of the Democrats' upcoming witch hunts against Trump from Barack Hussein Obama @BarackObama and his anti-White racist wife Michelle @MichelleObama would likely be blasted across all streaming services as the Obamas' Higher Ground Productions continues to grow within Netflix.' She continued: 'The Netflix-Warner Bros. merger would result in a streaming monopoly, which the Obamas will have a significant stake in.'​

Trump's response was not to tamp anything down. He reposted Loomer — and then, in his own words, demanded Netflix 'fire racist, Trump Deranged Susan Rice, IMMEDIATELY, or pay the consequences.' (Rice, who served in Barack Obama's administration, is also a Netflix board member, which is why she appears in the middle of this particular online brawl.)​

Even by Trump's standards, it is a striking choice of target: the only Black first lady in US history, branded a racist by a president who has spent years treating race as a political prop and a cultural tripwire.​​

Why Donald Trump Won't Let Michelle Obama Go

The timing matters because this is not a one-off. Earlier this month, Trump faced blowback after a racist video was shared on his Truth Social account — one that superimposed the faces of Barack and Michelle Obama on to the bodies of two apes while The Tokens' song 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' played. Asked whether he would apologise, Trump refused and insisted he 'didn't make a mistake.'

His explanation was, in its own way, revealing. 'I mean, I look at a lot of thousands of things. I looked at the beginning of it. It was fine,' he said. He then sought to reframe the clip as a form of political messaging, claiming it was connected to false allegations of voter fraud after the 2020 election, which he lost to Joe Biden. 'I guess it was a take off on The Lion King and certainly it was a very strong post in terms of voter fraud,' Trump said. The video was later removed from Truth Social.

Online, the reaction to Trump's new 'racist' accusation was predictably feral and sometimes oddly comedic in its despair. 'The worse he becomes, the angrier he gets at the Obamas. We are all a part of his retribution now,' one critic wrote. Another added: 'Why isn't Donald Trump in an assisted living facility for old demented racists? Why is he in our White House stealing our tax dollars?' A third posted: 'This man just gets funnier and funnier,' while another claimed Trump would do 'anything to avoid addressing Epstein.'​

Trump, for his part, has long insisted he is misunderstood — more than that, he is exceptional. He has previously claimed he has done 'more for Black Americans than anybody, with the possible exception of Abraham Lincoln,' and described himself as 'the least racist president you've had in a long time, as far as I'm concerned.' The argument may play well in the mirror; it reads differently when placed alongside the content he chooses to amplify and the people he chooses to smear.