Trump shares racist image of the Obamas. White House says backlash is ‘fake outrage’
WASHINGTON— President Trump made a short post video clip on social media Former President Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama were depicted as monkeys late Thursday, sparking immediate public backlash that the White House described as “fake outrage.”
The footage, which Trump shared on his official Truth Social account around midnight, was included near the end of a one-minute video clip promoting a conspiracy theory about voting irregularities in the 2020 presidential election. The Obamas are depicted as monkeys while the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” plays in the background.
The White House said the clip was taken from:an internet meme videoThe video, in which Trump was depicted as a lion and several high-profile Democrats, including former President Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff and California Governor Gavin Newsom, were depicted as giraffes, turtles, antelopes and other animals. The clip, shared by a social media account in October, was titled: “President Trump: King of the Jungle.”
The clip shared by Trump includes only the Obamas.
“Please stop the fake outrage and report on something that really matters to the American public today,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Friday.
But the post quickly came under harsh criticism from Democrats, some Republicans and civil rights organizations. The images were condemned for reflecting long-standing racist tropes that have historically been used to demean Black Americans.
“Trump releasing this video, especially during Black History Month, is a reminder of how Trump and his followers truly view people,” the NAACP said. wrote to x. “And we’ll remember that in November.”
Newsom, a Democrat, said fostering such an image was “disgusting behavior by the president.”
“Every Republican should condemn this. Now.” Newsom wrote about X.
Sen. Tim Scott, a black Republican from South Carolina who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said the photo was “the most racist thing I’ve ever seen in the White House.”
“The President should remove this” wrote to Scott X.
