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Saturday, February 7, 2026
The White House has deleted a post on Donald Trump’s social media account containing a video portraying former United States President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama as apes. The video triggered a backlash from American politicians, including from Trump’s own Republican Party.
The video, which lasts 62 seconds, is soundtracked to the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” and references allegations of electoral fraud in the 2020 United States presidential election. In addition to the Obamas, it portrays various other Democratic Party politicians as animals, such as United States Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Zohran Mamdani, the Mayor of New York City, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and former United States president Joe Biden, who like the Obamas, is portrayed as an ape eating a banana. It is believed to have originated from conservative meme creator Xerias, who shared the post on X in October 2025.
After initially defending the post, the White House removed the post from Trump’s account in response to backlash, with an official stating a staff member had mistakenly posted the video. Trump himself has stated that he did not see the full video prior to it being posted, but refused to apologize, staying he “did not make a mistake.”
The post triggered a backlash from various American politicians, including Republicans. Senator Tim Scott, who is both African American and a Republican, referred to the video as “the most racist thing I’ve ever seen out of this White House.”
