Former US President Donald Trump has sparked widespread condemnation after posting a video on his Truth Social platform that depicts Barack and Michelle Obama as apes in a digitally altered clip. The minute-long footage, which appears to be AI-generated, concludes with a two-second segment showing the former first couple dancing in a jungle setting to the tune of The Lion Sleeps Tonight, while Trump is portrayed as a lion resting on a hammock.
Racist Imagery Draws Immediate Backlash
Political commentators and critics were quick to label the video as incredibly racist, with many expressing outrage over the use of dehumanising imagery targeting Black public figures. California Governor Gavin Newsom's press office publicly denounced the post on social media, calling it disgusting and demanding that every Republican condemn it immediately.
One social media user remarked: There's absolutely no way that any black Trump supporters can defend this. How do you defend a white man posting images of Black people as monkeys. Another added: This is what we are now. This is what the highest office in the land is posting.
Source and White House Response
The controversial video features a watermark for PatriotNewsOutlet.com, a largely inactive news website that has been approached for comment. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed to Metro that the clip originated from an X user named Xerias, who shared it on social media in October.
Leavitt defended the content, stating: This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King. Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.
History of Controversial Posts
This incident is not the first time Trump has targeted Barack Obama with AI-generated content. In July, he posted a fabricated video showing Obama being arrested by the FBI in the Oval Office. During the same period, amid criticism over his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, Trump accused Obama of treason and pledged to use the Justice Department to pursue legal action against him.
Trump referenced a report issued by his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, which claimed Russia did not interfere in the 2016 election, despite multiple reviews, including a Republican-led investigation, finding that Moscow attempted to influence the outcome by damaging Hillary Clinton's campaign. Obama's spokesperson dismissed these accusations as ridiculous at the time.
Broader Context of Trump's Social Media Activity
The video was part of a flurry of activity on Truth Social, with Trump posting approximately 66 times in less than two hours. Among these posts was content about rigged voting machines, continuing his pattern of sharing controversial and misleading material. The Xerias account, which claimed credit for the Obama video, also previously created the fighter jet poop AI video that Trump posted during the No Kings protests.
As the 2026 political landscape evolves, such incidents highlight ongoing tensions and the polarising nature of digital content in American politics, raising questions about the ethical use of AI and the responsibilities of public figures in sharing potentially harmful material.
