By Harshit
WASHINGTON, FEBRUARY 6, 2026
US President Donald Trump is facing sharp criticism from Democrats, civil rights advocates, and some Republicans after he shared a video on his Truth Social account that briefly depicted former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as monkeys — imagery widely condemned as overtly racist.
The clip appeared at the end of a 62-second video posted late Thursday night as part of an overnight barrage of more than 60 social media posts by Trump. The video largely recycled long-debunked conspiracy theories claiming the 2020 presidential election was stolen through manipulated voting machines, before cutting to a brief AI-generated sequence showing the Obamas’ faces superimposed on monkeys dancing to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”
The post quickly drew outrage. As of Friday morning, it had garnered thousands of likes and reposts before spreading across other platforms via screenshots and archived links.
Condemnation From Democrats and Critics
Prominent Democrats accused the president of amplifying racist propaganda and demanded denunciations from Republican leaders.
The office of California Governor Gavin Newsom called the post “disgusting behavior by the President,” urging Republicans to speak out. Political strategist Adam Parkhomenko described the imagery as “overt racism” with “no excuse or misinterpretation.”
Former Obama adviser Ben Rhodes called Trump “a stain on our history,” while conservative attorney George Conway said the post reinforced long-standing warnings about Trump’s racial rhetoric.
Video Tied to Election Disinformation
The video also revives false claims involving Dominion Voting Systems, which was falsely accused of helping steal the 2020 election. Dominion settled a landmark defamation lawsuit with Fox News in 2023 for $787.5 million after years of conspiracy-laden coverage.
Media outlets confirmed that the clip remains visible on Trump’s Truth Social feed, and its existence has been preserved via the Internet Archive. The video carries a watermark associated with a pro-Trump account on X, though it is unclear whether Trump reviewed the full content before reposting it.
Pattern of Escalating Attacks
The incident fits a broader pattern of escalating attacks by Trump against Obama during his second term. In recent months, Trump has accused Obama of “treason” related to intelligence assessments of Russian interference and has previously shared AI-generated videos depicting Obama’s arrest — content that also drew widespread criticism.
The post also came shortly after Trump shared material celebrating Black conservative history, adding to confusion and condemnation over the juxtaposition.
White House Silent
As of publication, the White House has not issued a formal response explaining the president’s intent or whether the post will be removed. Civil rights organizations say the lack of clarification risks normalizing racist imagery from the highest office in the country.
For many critics, the episode underscores broader concerns about Trump’s continued promotion of election denialism and inflammatory content as the country heads toward high-stakes midterm elections later this year