Karoline Leavitt rushed to defend Donald Trump after he shared a racist video against the Obamas on Truth Social, depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys.
We all know that Trump holds a grudge against the former Democratic President and his wife. However, his recent attack sparked widespread criticism on social media, with many calling out the President over his “disgusting” post.
The distasteful caricature was completely unrelated to the main content of the video, which accused Barack Obama of committing voter fraud in the 2020 election, a claim that has long been debunked.
Despite evidence suggesting otherwise, Trump continues to claim that the former President stole votes from him.
BREAKING: Our RACIST President just posted a video which depicts Barack and Michelle Obama as Apes.
But I’m sure MAGA will tell us it’s the black people who are the real racist ones and that we need to do seeing about that.
When is enough enough? When can you all admit that… pic.twitter.com/SdVVjcrO2f
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) February 6, 2026
The controversial footage, inserted at the end of a clip shared by Trump, showed Barack and Michelle Obama’s faces superimposed on the bodies of two great apes.
The animated figures seemed to be dancing against the backdrop of what looked like a jungle, with the soundtrack of The Lion Sleeps Tonight playing in the background.
While many concluded Trump’s move was downright racist, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made sure to defend the President.
She attempted to explain the context of the video by sharing a link to another social media clip. “This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King,” Leavitt wrote.
“Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public,” she added.
Despite her attempt to defend the President, the social media backlash continued. On X (formerly Twitter), Gavin Newsom slammed Donald Trump’s “disgusting behavior,“ writing, “Every single Republican must denounce this. Now.”
🚨BREAKING: Donald Trump last night posted this video on his Truth Social which depicts Barack and Michelle Obama as Apes.
But I’m sure that MAGA will say it’s the black people who are the real racist ones and that we need to do seeing about that.
pic.twitter.com/5J1uaeUbbb
— Lucas Sanders 👊🏽🔥🇺🇸 (@LucasSa56947288) February 6, 2026
People were more outraged over the fact that the video was shared during Black History Month. “There’s absolutely no way that any black Trump Supporters can defend this. How do you defend a white man posting images of Black people as, Monkeys,“ wrote one on X.
“The president posted this vile, racist video on his platform depicting President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, as apes. Christian leaders, moral leaders, and the American people must swiftly and publicly denounce this heinous behavior,“ a second added.
A third noted, “Woke up to trump posting the obamas as apes and people defending it…happy black history month ig!”
“Last night the president of the United States posted a video on social media that depicted Michelle and Barak Obama as apes. I have run out of words to describe my disgust,“ added another.
