Former U.S. President Barack Obama has criticised a video shared by President Donald Trump depicting him and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes, describing it as “deeply troubling”.
Obama addressed the video in an interview on Saturday (14 February), saying most Americans would find such behaviour troubling.
“Just days ago. Donald Trump put a picture of you, your face on an ape’s body.” Brian Tyler Cohen asked Obama about the image in an interview, and said it reflected a decline in public discourse. “How do we come back from the place that we have fallen into?”
“First of all, I think it’s important to recognise that the majority of the American people find this behaviour deeply troubling,” Obama responded.
“It is true that it gets attention. It’s true that it’s a distraction, but as I’m traveling around the country, as you’re traveling around the country, you meet people -- they still believe in decency, courtesy, kindness.”
Obama said there is a “sort of clown show” playing out on social media and on television.
“What is true is there doesn’t seem to be any shame about this among people who used to feel like you had to have some sense of decorum and a sense of propriety and respect for the office. So, that’s been lost.”
The White House later defended the post, with spokesperson Karoline Leavitt initially dismissing criticism as “fake outrage”.
Hours later, the video was removed from the president's Truth Social account, with reports citing an anonymous official who blamed a staffer for the video being posted.
The apparently AI-generated video was set to the 'Lion Sleeps Tonight,' a song made famous by Disney's The Lion King film.
In the footage, the faces of Barack and Michelle Obama were placed on the bodies of apes, widely smiling, a depiction critics said echoed racist tropes directed at Black people.
The post, which mocked the United States’ first Black president, was shared during Black History Month, a period dedicated to honouring the milestones, contributions and history of Black Americans.
The video faced widespread backlash, including from some Republican lawmakers.
Trump later said he condemned the racist elements of the video but refused to apologise.
“Of course I do,” Trump said when asked by a reporter on Air Force One whether he condemned the racist parts of the video.
Asked if he would apologise, Trump declined, saying a staff member had posted the video on his behalf without him seeing the section that included the racist depictions, and insisting he “didn’t make a mistake”.
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