Donald Trump drew criticism from Democrats and some Republicans with a recent Truth Social post. The now-deleted video depicted former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as apes — a depiction widely condemned as racist. While the video went viral in no time and caused quite a riot on social media, it seems the president has no qualms about it.
In fact, Trump deflected the blame and refused to apologize for something that he said was not done intentionally. The staff member blamed for the post is the president’s aide, Natalie Harp, who posted the video in the first place. The brief clip was uploaded last week and discussed the conspiracy theories surrounding the 2020 election. The tipping point was Barack and Michelle’s face cutouts being superimposed over the bodies of apes dancing to The Lion Sleeps Tonight.
Addressing the matter for the first time to the press, Trump spoke aboard Air Force One and offered an account. He said that he only got to see the first half of the video, and not the controversial part. Moreover, the president revealed handing over the posting duties to his staffer. Although the clarification was still confusing and deflecting, Donald Trump announced that neither would he fire the staff member nor issue an apology.
So, Trump said the reason he liked that racist video depicting the Obama’s as apes, is because it featured him as the Lion King. I guess someone should tell him there’s a big difference between being a Lion King and a King of Lying.
— Chris (@Chris430968) February 9, 2026
Following questions about the video, Trump quickly redirected attention to the economy in a separate interview with NBC News. The president said he “accepted ownership” of the current state of the U.S. economy, as his policies were already producing results. Trump claimed that hundreds of billions of dollars (and “actually, trillions”) were flowing into the country and predicted that economic conditions would improve further in 2026.
The comments came amid continued public skepticism over Trump’s economic record. Recent polling cited by ABC News showed that only 36% of Americans approve of his handling of the economy, with a majority expressing dissatisfaction. Pressed on when prices would come down, Trump insisted they already had, pointing specifically to the cost of eggs and poultry. He also renewed calls for the passage of the SAVE Act, framing the issue as part of his broader argument about election integrity.
As for the racist post, again, Trump’s response also came under scrutiny for its loopholes. It is appalling for the public to think of which of his aides ended up hitting publish for such a racist post. As per popular belief, only two people in positions of authority can be directly blamed for the mishap: Trump’s personal aide, Natalie Harp or Dan Scavino.
If the picture of the Obama’s as apes was on truth social then please file a 100 billion dollar lawsuit against trump. Trump is disgusting for allowing anything like that to show on his timeline. Mr & Mrs Obama have trump banned by the courts from social media forever.
— Marie McGraw (@MarieMcGraw18) February 9, 2026
The White House, however, did not provide clarifications on which of the staff members were responsible. All it did was damage control and offer press clarifications, including taking down the video at the earliest. But netizens firmly believe that it has been Harp who has been the primary figure behind handling all of Trump’s social media presence. Over the years, the 35-year-old has been known to have built a great rapport with the President and has become one of his closest aides.
Meanwhile, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said,
“This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the king of the jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King. Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”
