Trump Faces Backlash Over Racist Video, Quickly Removes It

Sat Feb 07 2026 00:34:41 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a controversial moment, Donald Trump removed a video from social media that depicted Barack and Michelle Obama in a racially offensive manner. This incident has sparked intense criticism from both Democrats and Republicans.

Donald Trump recently deleted a social media video containing a racist clip depicting the Obamas as apes. The video, linked to election fraud claims, faced backlash from various political figures, including Republican Senator Tim Scott, who labeled it as 'the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House.' Initially defended as an internet meme, the video was eventually removed after public outcry and an acknowledgment that it was posted in error by a staffer.

US President Donald Trump has removed a social media video which included a racist clip depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes.

The clip - set to the song 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' - was at the end of a 62-second video containing claims about voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

Republican Senator Tim Scott - who is black - had called for the president to remove the post, describing it as 'the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House'.

The White House initially defended the clip as an 'internet meme video' and told critics to 'stop the fake outrage'.

The clip - reminiscent of racist caricatures comparing black people to monkeys - appears to be taken from an X post shared by conservative meme creator Xerias in October. The video depicted several other high-profile Democrats as animals.

Trump's predecessor in the White House, Joe Biden, is also depicted as an ape within this context. The Obamas have yet to comment on the video.

While Trump offered no comment in his post, the sharing of the video sparked a fierce backlash. Many criticisms came from within Trump's own party.

Senator Scott expressed hope that it was fake and insisted, 'The President should remove it.' New York representative Mike Lawler categorized the post as 'wrong and incredibly offensive' and called for its immediate deletion.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the clip was from an 'internet meme video' and urged critics to focus on more pressing issues. Eventually, a White House official indicated that a staffer had 'erroneously' made the post, leading to its removal.

Before its removal, Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, labeled the video 'disgusting and utterly despicable' and implied that Trump was attempting to distract from serious issues.

Ben Rhodes, a former deputy national security adviser during Obama's term, said Trump's actions would be remembered as a stain on American history, while Illinois Governor JB Pritzker simply stated that 'Donald Trump is a racist.' Criticisms continued with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries condemning Trump's behavior as malicious and calling for all Republicans to denounce it.