Trump shares doctored Air Force One image targeting Barack and Michelle Obama

Washington,UPDATED: Jul 6, 2026 06:10 IST

US President Donald Trump on Sunday shared a doctored image on Truth Social showing former president Barack Obama and Michelle Obama waving before boarding an Air Force One that had been spray-painted with graffiti. The post came months after another post showing the couple as primates in a jungle, which was later deleted after criticism from across party lines.

The latest image showed the Obamas smiling and waving at the top of the stairs beside a baby blue and white presidential plane. The graffiti on the aircraft included the Democrat campaign slogan "Yes We Can", "Obama" and "BLM", short for Black Lives Matter. It also included Arabic graffiti reading "alhamdulillah", which means "praise be to God" or "thank God".

The use of graffiti has been used in racist messaging against Black people in the past, as a coded reference to crime and urban decay. Trump has for years made intensely personal attacks on the Obamas and has also used incendiary and, at times, racist rhetoric. This has included pushing the false claim that Obama was not born in the United States, making crude generalisations about majority-Black countries and sharing posts on Truth Social that have drawn anger.

The post showing the Obamas as primates was shared in February during the first week of Black History Month. It was removed after criticism from civil rights leaders and Republican senators. Trump did not apologise, and a staff member was later blamed for posting it.

The latest post also came at a time when Air Force One is a sensitive subject. Last week, Trump made his first trip on a new Air Force One, a retrofitted Boeing 747-800 worth USD 400 million gifted by Qatar. The aircraft's light blue hull, which helped Air Force One blend into the sky, was replaced with Trump's preferred colour scheme of a navy-blue underside with red and gold stripes.

After speaking on the Mall in Washington on Saturday night to mark Independence Day and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Trump had no public events on Sunday and spent the day at his golf club in Virginia. He is due to leave on Monday for Turkey for a summit with NATO allies.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the Obamas also did not immediately respond.

Sunday's post followed another from last month, when Trump shared a doctored image of Obama's presidential library in Chicago to make it appear that the building had a large bag of garbage on top and was surrounded by a wasteland. "The Obama Library ten years from now will be a Mecca' for those who hate America! President DJT," he had written. Trump has repeatedly criticised the library in public comments and posted the image twice on his social media platform.

The Air Force One image was one of several posts Trump shared on Sunday. Another was an old picture that appeared to show Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni smiling and looking up at him under the words "RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED." The post could add to tensions ahead of this week's meetings in Turkey, after Trump had said Meloni asked "over and over" for a photograph with him during the recent G7 summit and suggested she had begged for it. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani then cancelled a planned trip to Washington, while Meloni called Trump's account "completely fabricated" and said, "Italy and I never beg."

In sum, Trump's latest Truth Social post again targeted the Obamas with a doctored image, reviving controversy over his earlier posts and coming at a time when both Air Force One and his remarks about foreign leaders are already under scrutiny.

With PTI Inputs

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