President Donald Trump's social media account posted and then deleted a video late Thursday night that depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as monkeys, sparking immediate condemnation from across the political spectrum and raising serious questions about oversight of the president's official communications.
The controversial post, shared on Trump's Truth Social platform, remained online for approximately 12 hours before being removed Friday afternoon. The incident has become one of the most significant racial controversies of Trump's current term, drawing sharp criticism from both Democrats and key Republicans.
The Offensive Content
The video in question was part of a longer montage that included false claims about U.S. elections and voting systems. Near the conclusion, it featured an animated segment showing the Obamas' faces digitally superimposed onto primates dancing in a jungle setting, accompanied by the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."
The imagery invoked one of the most deeply rooted racist tropes in American history the dehumanizing comparison of Black people to apes and monkeys. This type of racist caricature has been used for centuries to justify discrimination, violence, and the denial of civil rights to African Americans.
Timeline of Events
- Thursday, February 5, 2026 (Late Night): The video was posted from President Trump's official Truth Social account.
- Friday, February 6, 2026 (Morning): Public backlash began building as the post circulated widely across social media platforms. Political leaders, civil rights organizations, and ordinary citizens expressed outrage.
- Friday, February 6, 2026 (Afternoon): Approximately 12 hours after the initial posting, the video was deleted from Trump's account.
- Friday, February 6, 2026 (Evening): Trump made his first public comments on the controversy while traveling, declining to apologize but claiming he had not watched the entire video before it was posted.
Bipartisan Political Backlash
The controversy generated rare bipartisan criticism, with Republican Senator Tim Scott the only Black Republican in the Senate delivering one of the sharpest rebukes from within Trump's own party.
Scott called the post "the most racist thing" he had seen come from the White House and urged its immediate removal. His intervention was particularly significant because it represented a break from the typical Republican reluctance to criticize Trump publicly, signaling deep discomfort within the GOP beyond the usual intra-party critics.
On the Democratic side, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries condemned the imagery and called for accountability. Democratic lawmakers argued that the incident reflects a broader pattern of Trump targeting the Obamas and stoking racial divisions for political purposes.
"This isn't just about one offensive video," one Democratic congressman stated. "It's about a pattern of behavior that treats racial provocation as a political tool rather than something to be avoided at all costs."
Trump's Non-Apology Response
President Trump refused to apologize for the post, instead claiming that he did not watch the entire video before it was shared and characterizing the upload as an error made by a staffer. Despite condemning racist content in general terms, Trump insisted he did not "make a mistake" in sharing the broader message contained in the video.
This response disavowing the offensive segment while defending the overall thrust of the content left critics arguing that the president was minimizing the harm and avoiding basic responsibility for what appears on his official social media account.
"The presidency is not a private account," one political analyst noted. "When something is posted under the president's name, the responsibility ultimately rests with the president, regardless of who physically pressed the send button."
White House Damage Control
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt attempted to contain the controversy by describing the content as part of "internet meme culture" and emphasizing that the post had been removed. However, the framing did little to quell the outrage.
The "meme culture" defense raised immediate concerns among communications experts, who noted that such framing does not address the fundamental question: how did overtly racist content make it through any review process to appear on the president's official channel?
The episode has revived recurring operational questions about the Trump administration's social media practices:
- Who has access to post from the president's accounts?
- What review process exists (if any) for inflammatory or potentially offensive content?
- Does accountability stop at an unnamed staffer when posts are issued under the president's name?
As of now, the White House has not provided a clear account of who posted the video, what safeguards were in place to prevent such content from being shared, or what steps will be taken to ensure similar incidents don't occur in the future.
Cultural Response
The controversy extended beyond the political sphere into popular culture. Musician Jack White publicly blasted Trump over the post, calling the president "deranged" and arguing that the content would result in immediate termination for any other worker in any other workplace.
White's response highlighted a broader cultural critique: that political power can insulate behavior that would be considered disqualifying in virtually any other professional context.
The celebrity reaction helped keep the story circulating beyond Washington, D.C., extending it into entertainment news and social media commentary. Other public figures joined the condemnation, with many pointing out that the incident demonstrates why representation and accountability matter at the highest levels of government.
Historical Context and Deeper Implications
The use of monkey and ape imagery to demean Black individuals has a long and painful history in America. During slavery and the Jim Crow era, such comparisons were routinely used to justify the denial of basic human rights to African Americans. Even in contemporary times, Black political figures including both Barack and Michelle Obama during their time in the White House—have been subjected to similar racist attacks.
The Obama family faced numerous racist incidents during Barack Obama's presidency (2009-2017), including images depicting them as apes circulated by local officials, protesters, and online trolls. The persistence of such imagery underscores that these are not mere relics of the past but ongoing tools of racial hatred.
What makes this incident particularly troubling to many observers is that it came not from a fringe website or anonymous social media account, but from the official platform of the sitting President of the United States.
What Happens Next?
Two key developments will likely determine whether this controversy fades quickly or continues to generate political heat:
1. Accountability and Transparency: Will the White House provide a clearer, more detailed account of how the video was posted, who was responsible, and what safeguards exist to prevent similar incidents? The administration's failure to offer specifics thus far has left many questions unanswered.
2. Congressional Response: Will Republican lawmakers, especially those who initially criticized the post, continue to press the issue, or will they move on now that the content has been deleted? The answer could signal whether there are any meaningful limits on what the party will tolerate from its leader.
For critics, the incident represents more than just a single offensive post. It has become a flashpoint in a larger debate about the standards presidents should uphold in official communications and whether deleting problematic content constitutes adequate accountability or merely the beginning of necessary scrutiny.
The Broader Question of Presidential Communication
The controversy raises fundamental questions about presidential communication in the digital age. With social media giving presidents direct, unfiltered access to millions of followers, the potential for both positive engagement and serious missteps has increased exponentially.
While some argue that social media allows presidents to communicate more authentically with the American people, critics contend that the lack of traditional gatekeepers editors, fact-checkers, and communications advisors who once vetted presidential statements has created dangerous vulnerabilities.
"Presidents used to have entire teams reviewing every public statement," noted one former White House communications director. "Now, a single late-night social media post can create an international incident or, as we've seen here, revive some of the ugliest chapters of American history."
Conclusion
As the nation continues to grapple with questions of racial justice, representation, and the appropriate use of presidential power, the Trump-Obama monkey video controversy serves as a stark reminder of how quickly rhetoric and imagery can inflame tensions and undermine national unity.
Whether this incident will have lasting political consequences for President Trump or fade into the background of an already turbulent political environment remains to be seen. What is clear is that the post has reopened wounds that many Americans hoped were beginning to heal and has raised serious questions about judgment, accountability, and the standards Americans should expect from their highest elected official.
Sources: FilmoGaz, Reuters, Associated Press, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal
About This Article: This article was compiled from multiple verified news sources reporting on the controversy surrounding President Trump's deleted social media post featuring racist imagery of the Obama family. All factual claims have been cross-referenced across multiple reputable news outlets.