By Sabiu Abdullahi
President Donald Trump shared a video clip on social media that portrayed former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes. He later removed the post after strong criticism from the public and members of his own Republican Party.
The clip appeared near the end of a 62-second video that pushed conspiracy claims about irregularities in the 2020 presidential election. It featured the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” The post formed part of a pattern critics say reflects Mr. Trump’s history of promoting offensive imagery and language about Black Americans and other groups.
The White House initially defended the video. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the outrage in an earlier statement before the post was taken down.
“This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King,” she said. “Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”
Despite that defense, the video disappeared from the president’s social media feed hours later. Observers described the deletion as a rare reversal from Mr. Trump, who often stands by controversial online posts.
Civil rights advocates and historians noted that portraying Black people as apes draws from racist imagery used during slavery and segregation to dehumanize Black communities and justify violence.
Condemnation also came from Republican lawmakers. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, the only Black Republican in the Senate and a political ally of Mr. Trump, reacted on social media.
He wrote that he hoped the post was fake “because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House. The President should remove it.”
Representative Mike Lawler, a Republican from New York, also criticized the video. He said the president’s post “is wrong and incredibly offensive.” He added that it “should be deleted immediately with an apology offered.”
Mr. Trump has clashed with Mr. Obama for years. He previously promoted the false “birther” claim that Mr. Obama was born in Kenya and therefore was not a legitimate U.S. president.
The latest controversy has renewed debate over rhetoric, race and political conduct as the United States approaches another election cycle.
