The White House has deleted a controversial video shared by President Donald Trump that depicted former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes, following widespread condemnation and accusations of racist imagery.
Initial Defence and Swift Removal
Originally posted on Mr Trump's social media platform Truth Social, the two-second clip showed the Obamas as animated apes bobbing to the tune of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." It appeared towards the end of a longer video promoting debunked claims about the 2020 election being stolen from Mr Trump.
The post remained live for approximately twelve hours before being taken down. A White House official later stated that a member of staff had "erroneously made the post," attributing the incident to an administrative error rather than intentional dissemination.
Political Outrage and Condemnation
Before the deletion, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the content, describing it as part of an "internet meme video" that portrayed President Trump as the "King of the Jungle" and Democrats as characters from The Lion King. She urged critics to "stop the fake outrage" and focus on issues more relevant to the American public.
However, this defence failed to quell the immediate backlash from prominent political figures. California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom took to X, formerly Twitter, to denounce what he called "disgusting behaviour" by the president, demanding that "every single Republican must denounce this. Now."
Ben Rhodes, who served as Deputy National Security Adviser in the Obama administration, responded forcefully, labelling Mr Trump "a stain on our history." He predicted that future generations would embrace the Obamas as beloved figures while studying Mr Trump's legacy critically.
George Conway, ex-husband of former Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, highlighted a 2019 article in which he described the president as a "racist," reinforcing the criticism. The group Republicans Against Trump succinctly remarked, "There's no bottom," suggesting a pattern of behaviour without moral limits.
Historical Context of Trump-Obama Relations
This incident is not an isolated one in the long-standing contentious relationship between Mr Trump and his predecessor. Mr Trump has a documented history of attacking Mr Obama, most notably as a vocal proponent of the "birther" conspiracy theory during the previous decade.
That theory falsely questioned Mr Obama's birthplace, asserting he was born in Kenya rather than Hawaii, which would have rendered him ineligible for the presidency. Mr Obama eventually produced his long-form birth certificate in 2011 to counter these claims, and Mr Trump publicly accepted his predecessor's American birth in 2016, though the controversy left lasting political scars.
Broader Implications and Public Reaction
The video's removal highlights the ongoing tensions within American political discourse, particularly concerning racial sensitivity and the use of social media by high-profile officials. The swift deletion after initial defence suggests internal recognition of the content's inflammatory nature, even as some supporters dismissed the criticism as exaggerated.
This episode raises questions about the normalisation of divisive rhetoric in political communication and the responsibilities of public figures in moderating content that could perpetuate harmful stereotypes. The reaction from both sides of the political aisle underscores the deep divisions that continue to characterise contemporary US politics.
As the White House moves to distance itself from the video, the incident serves as a reminder of the volatile intersection between digital media, political messaging, and historical racial sensitivities in the United States.
