Racism: US President Donald Trump faces backlash over AI video depicting Obamas as Monkeys

By Sabiu Abdullahi

United States President Donald Trump has drawn widespread condemnation after posting a controversial video on social media that features an AI-generated scene portraying former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as monkeys.

The video surfaced late Thursday during a flurry of activity on Trump’s Truth Social account. Within less than one hour, the president uploaded dozens of posts on the platform.

One of the materials shared was a compilation video that repeated his long-standing claims that the 2020 presidential election was manipulated. Those allegations have been dismissed in court and through official reviews.

Close to the one-minute point of the footage, an altered segment appears. It shows the Obamas’ faces placed on monkeys’ bodies. The background audio features the song ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’.

Trump reposted the same video twice. The timing fueled further anger online because the incident occurred during Black History Month.

Users on X and other social media platforms reacted strongly. Many described the clip as racist and degrading. Some critics argued that the post reinforced racist stereotypes historically used against Black people.

The controversial upload formed part of a broader late-night posting spree. During the same period, Trump again promoted discredited narratives about widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, despite the absence of supporting evidence.

In a separate post that drew attention, Trump shared a screenshot bearing the message, “This can be a great option if things don’t work out,” alongside a fight scene video of martial artist Bruce Lee. He did not clarify the meaning of the message, leaving observers to speculate.

The uproar followed renewed scrutiny of Trump’s remarks about the U.S. electoral process. Earlier in the week, he suggested that Republicans should assume control of election administration in several areas and proposed federal involvement in voting oversight.

“The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over,’” Trump reportedly said during a conservative podcast released Monday.

During the same conversation with former deputy FBI director Dan Bongino, he added that elections should be “nationalised.”

However, in an interview with NBC News correspondent Tom Llamas on Wednesday, Trump attempted to retract that position.

“I didn’t say nationalise,” he claimed, even though recordings of the earlier remarks circulated widely.

The White House later tried to ease tensions sparked by the statements. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president remains loyal to the U.S. Constitution. She added that he believes previous elections were affected by “fraud and irregularities,” although no verified evidence supports the claim.

Only hours after that clarification, Trump appeared to reinforce his stance while speaking in the Oval Office.

“The federal government should get involved,” he said.

The developments have continued to generate debate across political and civic circles in the United States. Critics argue that both the video controversy and the election comments raise concerns about political rhetoric and democratic norms.