Nearly a week into Black History Month, President Donald Trump’s Truth Social account became the center of a fast-moving dispute over racism and the White House’s control of its social-media posts. The Associated Press reported that Trump deleted a 62-second video on Friday after criticism from Republicans and Democrats, who said the clip was offensive and dehumanizing toward the former first couple.
The post used a 62-second montage that, toward the end, showed two jungle primates with the Obamas’ smiling faces superimposed on them, AP reported. The Associated Press reported that Leavitt said the imagery came from an “internet meme video” that portrayed Trump as “King of the Jungle” and depicted Democratic leaders as animals, including Joe Biden. Leavitt also disputed the comparison to Disney’s “The Lion King,” saying the reference was incorrect because the film is set on the savannah and does not include great apes.
Leavitt’s comments came after the White House initially defended the post, AP reported. She later placed responsibility on a subordinate, saying the staffer had posted the video “erroneously,” and the White House said the clip had circulated as part of a broader pattern of memes and AI-generated content amplified by Trump’s account. In a text statement, Leavitt said, “Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public,” according to AP.
AP reported that by noon Friday, the post had been taken down. Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One later that night, rejected calls to apologize and said, “I didn’t make a mistake,” AP reported. He added that he liked what he saw and suggested the post had not been reviewed fully before it was shared, saying, “I liked the beginning. I saw it and just passed it on, and I guess probably nobody reviewed the end of it,” according to AP. When asked whether he condemned the video’s racism, Trump said, “Of course I do,” AP reported.
The episode drew condemnation across the political spectrum, AP reported. Congressional Black Caucus chairwoman Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., told AP she did not accept the White House’s explanation, saying the situation reflected “a toxic and racist climate within the White House.” Clarke added that Trump “is a racist, he’s a bigot, and he will continue to do things in his presidency to make that known,” AP reported.
Senate Republicans also joined the criticism. Tim Scott of South Carolina called on Trump to take down the post, AP reported, and said he had prayed “it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.” Another Republican, Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, called the post “totally unacceptable” and said the president should apologize, AP reported.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson also denounced the video as AP reported, calling it “utterly despicable.” Johnson tied the episode to Trump’s wider political efforts, adding that “You know who isn’t in the Epstein files? Barack Obama,” and “You know who actually improved the economy as president? Barack Obama,” AP reported.
Outside elected officials, responses echoed that theme. At a Black History Month market in Harlem, AP reported vendor Jacklyn Monk said Trump’s post was embarrassing even after deletion and that “The guy needs help,” adding that it was “horrible that it was this month.” In Atlanta, Rev. Bernice King, daughter of the assassinated civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., resurfaced her father’s words and criticized the dehumanizing comparison, AP reported.
AP also included context on Trump’s past rhetoric about the Obamas and on the broader history of associating Black people with animals in racist ways, including examples of how such portrayals have been used to justify slavery and later dehumanize Black communities. The report said Trump’s post came during Black History Month and days after a Trump proclamation cited “the contributions of black Americans to our national greatness” and “the American principles of liberty, justice, and equality.”
As the fallout continued, AP reported that the White House had not immediately responded to questions about how posts are vetted and when the public can know when Trump himself is posting. The episode revived scrutiny of who controls Trump’s account and how memes and videos are chosen for amplification, particularly at a moment when courts have rejected Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was stolen.