1 hour ago
Last Updated:February 06, 2026, 18:01 IST
The video had received several thousand likes on Trump’s platform, drawing sharp criticism from Democrats and public figures.
Near the end, the Obamas’ faces appear on the bodies of monkeys for about one second.
US President Donald Trump has sparked widespread outrage after posting a video on his Truth Social platform that depicted former president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle as monkeys.
The one-minute video, which the US president shared on Thursday, focuses largely on false claims that the ballot-counting company Dominion Voting Systems helped steal the 2020 election from Trump.
Near the end, the Obamas’ faces appear on the bodies of monkeys for about one second, with the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight" playing in the background.
As of early Friday, the video had received several thousand likes on Trump’s platform, drawing sharp criticism from Democrats and public figures.
The office of California Governor Gavin Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, condemned the post. “Disgusting behavior by the President. Every single Republican must denounce this. Now," Newsom’s press office tweeted.
Ben Rhodes, a former top national security adviser and close confidant of Barack Obama, also spoke out. “Let it haunt Trump and his racist followers that future Americans will embrace the Obamas as beloved figures while studying him as a stain on our history," he wrote on X.
Let it haunt Trump and his racist followers that future Americans will embrace the Obamas as beloved figures while studying him as a stain on our history. https://t.co/zDMdFtESJ3— Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) February 6, 2026
Barack Obama is the only Black president in US history and actively campaigned for Kamala Harris, Trump’s 2024 election opponent.
Trump has increasingly used artificial intelligence and hyper-realistic imagery to attack his critics since returning to the White House. Last year, he posted a video showing Obama behind bars in an orange jumpsuit. He also shared an AI clip of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wearing a fake mustache and sombrero, which Jeffries called racist.
One of Trump’s first acts after returning to office was to terminate federal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes, including those in the military. The removal of related books from military academy shelves has also sparked debate.
These programmes trace back to the civil rights movement of the 1960s, established to address systemic racism that persisted after the abolition of slavery in 1865.
(With inputs from agencies)
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First Published:
February 06, 2026, 18:01 IST
News world Trump Sparks Fury After Sharing AI Video Depicting Barack, Michelle Obama As Monkeys
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