WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump drew bipartisan condemnation after a Trump racist video shared late Thursday on his Truth Social account depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes. The White House removed the post after about 12 hours and blamed a staff error, while Trump condemned the imagery but said he would not apologize, Feb. 6, 2026.
What the Trump racist video showed
The minute-long clip pushed debunked claims that fraud swung the 2020 election. Near the end, a brief, digitally manipulated segment showed the Obamas’ faces superimposed on primates as “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” played, before the video returned to election-related footage, according to CBS News and the Associated Press.
The post appeared at 11:44 p.m. Thursday and was gone by around noon Friday, after lawmakers and civil rights leaders called it racist and demanded its removal.
Trump and the White House respond to the Trump racist video
Trump told reporters he viewed only the start of the video and then passed it along for posting. Asked if he condemned the racist portion, he said, “Of course I do,” but when pressed for an apology he replied, “No, I didn’t make a mistake,” as Reuters reported.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt initially described the post as an “internet meme” and dismissed the backlash as “fake outrage,” ABC News reported. The White House later said a staffer had “erroneously made the post” and took it down, without identifying who shared it or spelling out how Trump’s account is reviewed.
Why the Trump racist video sparked bipartisan outrage
Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina urged the president to delete the post, calling it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.” Democrats also blasted the clip; Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called it “Racist. Vile. Abhorrent.” in a social media message cited by Time.
A spokesperson for the Obamas declined to comment. The episode also renewed scrutiny of Trump’s use of social media, where he has long circulated fan-created content and where posts can ricochet quickly across Washington.
Older controversies add context
The Trump racist video also surfaced old criticism about Trump’s record on race and Obama. He spent years promoting the “birther” conspiracy before acknowledging in 2016 that “President Barack Obama was born in the United States, period,” as Reuters reported at the time.
During his first term, Trump faced backlash after saying there were “very fine people, on both sides” following the deadly 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, according to an AP report.
And in 2019, when asked about his past comments tied to the Central Park Five case, Trump again declined to apologize, telling reporters, “They admitted their guilt,” Reuters reported. Critics said those episodes help explain why the Trump racist video drew rare public rebukes from some Republicans even after it was deleted.
