UPDATED: While Democrats condemned Donald Trump’s Truth Social post of a video showing a racist AI depiction of Barack and Michelle Obama as apes, one of the President’s strident defenders called it out as well.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who is chairing the GOP’s Senate campaign efforts this year, wrote on X, “The prayer that was fake because it is the most racist thing I have seen from this White House. The President should remove it.”
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The White House acknowledged that Trump posted the video, and defended the president for doing so. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, “This is from an internet meme video that shows President Trump as the King of the Jungle and the Democrats as characters from The Lion King. Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”
Her comments contrasted with an incident in Trump’s first term, when Roseanne Barr, then starring in her own ABC sitcom, referred to Valerie Jarrett, who was a senior adviser to the Obamas, as the offspring of the “planet of the apes.” The Walt Disney Co. fired Barr. At the time, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called out what she considered a media double standard, but told reporters that “no one is defending” the sitcom star’s comments.
Another Republican, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), who faces a competitive re-election race this cycle, wrote, “The President’s post is wrong and incredibly offensive – whether intentional or a mistake – and should be immediately revoked with an apology offered.”
A spokesman for the Obamas did not immediately return a request for comment.
The NAACP said in a statement, “Trump posting this video — especially during Black History Month — is a powerful reminder of how Trump and his followers really see people. And we’ll remember that in November.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement, “President Obama and Michelle Obama are brilliant, compassionate and patriotic Americans. They represent the best of this country. Donald Trump is a vile, unhinged and malignant bastard. Why do GOP leaders like John Thune continue to support this sick individual? Every single Republican must immediately denounce Donald Trump’s depravity.”
MSNBC and CNN covered the post during morning programming on Friday, while Fox News largely ignored it.
The Obamas’ clip features a “@XERIAS_X” watermark, and it appears the account originally posted the video in October of last year. The 55-second video shows Trump as a lion, while Hillary Clinton and Zohran Mamdani are depicted as a warthog and hyena respectively.
The account @XERIAS_X has a profile picture of Pepe the Frog wearing Trump. The account claimed credit for the AI ”fighter jet poop” video posted by Trump during the “No Kings” protests last year.
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