On February 6, 2026, President Donald Trump shared a video on Truth Social showing former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama with their faces on ape bodies, drawing widespread criticism for invoking a dehumanizing racist trope. The White House initially defended the post before deleting it after 12 hours, blaming a staffer. Senator Tim Scott, a Black Republican, called it the most racist content from the administration.
The incident occurred during the first week of Black History Month. At 8:44 p.m. on Thursday, February 6, Trump posted a one-minute video on Truth Social promoting baseless conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. The video concluded with a two-second clip of a jungle scene featuring the Obamas laughing with open mouths on ape bodies, set to the tune of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."
This clip stemmed from an AI-generated meme portraying Trump as the king of the jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King, such as Hillary Clinton as Pumbaa and Hakeem Jeffries as Timon. Other Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, were depicted as animals in the full video. However, Trump shared only the offensive segment focusing on the Obamas. The creator, identifiable by a Pepe the Frog avatar watermark, produces low-quality MAGA-themed content, including videos mocking protesters and other figures.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the post, describing it as "from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the king of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King." She urged, "Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public."
Criticism came quickly, including from allies. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who is Black, stated he was "praying it was fake" and called it "the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House. The President should remove it."
The post remained online for 12 hours before deletion, with no apology from Trump or the administration. The depiction echoes a long-standing racist trope used to dehumanize Black people and justify slavery. Trump has a history of such remarks, including promoting the false birther narrative about Obama, using derogatory language for African countries, and claiming Kamala Harris "turned Black" during her campaign.
