Donald Trump is rarely one to hold back — but this time, many say he’s gone too far.
A post on Truth Social by the president has drawn heavy criticism, being called “vile” for depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys.
“Disgusting behavior by the President”
Donald Trump has sparked outrage online after posting a video on Truth Social that ended with a shocking image of Barack and Michelle Obama superimposed as monkeys. The clip, part of a 1-minute conspiracy video claiming the 2020 election was “stolen” by Dominion Voting Systems, has been widely condemned as racist.
For two seconds, the video shows the Obamas’ faces on monkeys bobbing to The Lion Sleeps Tonight. As of Friday morning, the post had been liked more than 2,500 times and shared over 1,100 times.
“Disgusting behavior by the President. Every single Republican must denounce this. Now,” said the press office of California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Political strategist Adam Parkhomenko added: “This is overt racism. Full stop. There’s no ‘misinterpretation’ and no excuse. This is who he is, who he’s always been, and why he should never be anywhere near power again.”
Social media users were also quick to react. One wrote: “Being a racist, and posting racist memes, places you on the ladder rung two steps below contempt. I’d call you a pig, but that would be doing a grave disservice to pigs around the world. The world awaits your political demise with great anticipation.”
According to Unilad, another commented: “Can’t believe I voted for you, Mr. President. It’s a new low every day.”
Others defended Trump, with one person writing, “God bless you, Sir!” and another adding, “Stop the voter fraud. Republicans need to grow a spine and pass legislation to end the cheating.”
The video was just one of over 60 posts Trump made on Truth Social in a three-hour spree, which also included repeating false claims about the 2020 election, promoting a Super Bowl ad, and calls to put his face on Mount Rushmore.
After the strong reactions, the White House weighed in as well. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the image was from a social media meme.
“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.”
The Obamas have not yet responded to the video.