Highlights:
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Racist clip depicted Barack Obama and Michelle Obama as apes
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Video was shared on Donald Trump’s Truth Social account
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White House initially dismissed criticism as “fake outrage”
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Senator Tim Scott called it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House”
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Obama said political “shame” and “decorum” have been lost
Former US president Barack Obama criticized what he described as a decline in political decorum after a racist video shared on Donald Trump’s social media account depicted him and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes.
The video, posted on Trump’s Truth Social platform, included an image portraying the Obamas as apes set to the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight. The segment appeared at the end of a longer video that repeated unfounded claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election. The clip is believed to have originated from an October post on X by a conservative meme creator.
The post triggered criticism from Democrats and Republicans. The White House initially dismissed the backlash as “fake outrage.” The video was later deleted, with officials attributing the post to a staff member.
Trump told reporters he “didn’t see” the portion of the video that showed the Obamas depicted as apes. When asked whether he planned to apologize, he responded: “I didn’t make a mistake.”
Obama Response to Trump and the State of Political Discourse
The Obama response to Trump came during a 47-minute interview released Saturday with liberal podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen. At the beginning of the episode, Cohen said US political discourse “has devolved to a level of cruelty that we haven’t seen before.” He referenced the White House’s description of some Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees as “domestic terrorists” and added, “just days ago, Donald Trump put a picture of you, your face, on an ape’s body.”
Obama did not mention Trump by name in his response. Instead, Obama addressed the broader political climate.
“It’s important to recognise that the majority of the American people find this behaviour deeply troubling,” Obama said.
“It is true that it gets attention. It’s true that it’s a distraction.”
The Obama response emphasized that while such incidents generate attention, they also distract from substantive issues. Obama said his experience traveling across the country shows that many Americans still value respect in public life.
He said he continues to meet people who “still believe in decency, courtesy, kindness.”
“There’s this sort of clown show that’s happening in social media and on television,” Obama said.
“And what is true is that there doesn’t seem to be any shame about this among people who used to feel like you had to have some sort of decorum and a sense of propriety and respect for the office, right?
“That’s been lost.”
The imagery in the video echoed long-standing racist caricatures comparing Black people to monkeys, a trope widely condemned as dehumanizing.
Among Republican critics was Tim Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate. Scott described the post as “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.”
Obama Discusses Broader Issues Beyond the Controversy
During the wide-ranging interview, Obama also discussed peaceful protests related to immigration enforcement operations, electoral redistricting, and the progress of his presidential library in Chicago, which is scheduled to open next year.
The Obama response to Trump focused less on direct confrontation and more on the broader erosion of political norms. Obama framed the controversy as part of a larger shift in public discourse, arguing that traditional expectations of shame and decorum no longer guide political behavior in the same way.
As the debate continues, the Obama response highlights concerns about standards in public office and the tone of national leadership. According to Obama, the loss of “shame” and “decorum” reflects a deeper challenge facing American political culture.
