Trump Deletes Video Showing Obamas As Apes After White House Blames 'Erroneous' Staffer Post

President Donald Trump's Truth Social account removed a racist video depicting former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes on Friday morning, following fierce bipartisan criticism that included condemnation from the president's Republican allies. The White House initially defended the post before attributing it to staff error.

The video, which Trump posted late Thursday at 11:44 pm, remained on his account for approximately 12 hours before being deleted. A White House official said that 'a White House staffer erroneously made the post' and confirmed it had been taken down. A source familiar with the matter later claimed Trump 'had not seen that video before it was posted', and ordered its removal upon discovering it.

Republicans Break Ranks to Condemn Post

The deletion came after Senator Tim Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate and chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, issued a sharp rebuke of the content. 'Praying it was fake because it's the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House,' Scott wrote on X. 'The President should remove it.' His statement marked a rare public criticism from one of Trump's typically loyal defenders.

Representative Mike Lawler, a New York Republican facing a competitive re-election, joined Scott's call for removal. 'The President's post is wrong and incredibly offensive — whether intentional or a mistake — and should be deleted immediately with an apology offered,' Lawler stated.

White House Initially Defends Video

Before the video's removal, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had dismissed the backlash in a statement to media outlets. 'This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King,' Leavitt said. 'Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.'

The roughly minute-long video primarily focused on false claims about voting machine irregularities during the 2020 presidential election. However, at approximately 58 seconds into the clip, it abruptly cut to a two-second segment showing the Obamas' faces superimposed onto the bodies of animated apes as 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' by The Tokens played in the background.

Leavitt had referenced a longer video posted in October by the X user @xerias_x, which depicted Trump as a lion whilst various Democratic figures appeared as different animals, including Hillary Clinton as a warthog and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as a donkey. However, the clip Trump shared only featured the Obamas' racist depiction.

Democrats and Civil Rights Groups Condemn Imagery

Democratic leaders responded with forceful condemnation. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries described the post as evidence of Trump's character. 'President Obama and Michelle Obama are brilliant, compassionate and patriotic Americans. They represent the best of this country,' Jeffries wrote. 'Donald Trump is a vile, unhinged and malignant bottom feeder.'

California Governor Gavin Newsom's office called the video 'disgusting behaviour by the President' and demanded that 'every single Republican must denounce this'. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer simply labelled Trump's post 'racist', whilst former Obama advisor Ben Rhodes stated the video would 'haunt Trump and his racist followers'.

The NAACP released a statement noting that 'Trump posting this video—especially during Black History Month—is a stark reminder of how Trump and his followers truly view people'.

Representatives for the Obamas did not immediately respond to media requests for comment.

Historical Context of Racist Imagery

The depiction of Black individuals as apes represents a long-standing racist trope historically used to dehumanise Black people and justify slavery. The incident occurred during Black History Month, which honours the accomplishments and contributions of African Americans throughout United States history.

Trump has previously promoted racist content regarding the Obamas, including spending years amplifying the false 'birther' conspiracy theory claiming Barack Obama was born in Kenya and therefore ineligible to serve as president. During the 2024 campaign, Trump also falsely claimed that former Vice President Kamala Harris 'turned Black'.

The incident recalls a 2018 controversy when comedian Roseanne Barr was fired from her ABC sitcom after referring to Valerie Jarrett, a senior Obama adviser, using 'Planet of the Apes' language. At that time, then-White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders stated that 'no one is defending' Barr's comments, marking a contrast to Leavitt's initial defence of Trump's post.