White House deletes video after blaming staffer for Obama 'apes' post: report claims
The clip, which remained on the timeline for 12 hours before being pulled from the president’s social media feed, was met with heavy criticism
February 07, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump posted a video featuring the Obamas as apes that prompted swift condemnation and claims of blatant racism, including from the GOP lawmakers, yesterday, February 6, 2026.
President Trump posted that video on the social media platform Truth Social last night, Friday, February 6, 2026, that shows Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s faces in an obvious effect; they were photoshopped onto apes.
Beaming while swaying to the music, swaying happily, grinning and rocking from side to side
The clip is overlaid by a watermark from X user @XERIAS_X, a Trump-followed account with over 46,000 followers.
The clip, which remained on the timeline for 12 hours before being pulled from the president’s social media feed, was met with heavy criticism by various politicians, TV anchors, and other high-profile figures.
On Friday morning, February 6, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt brushed off the criticism as harmless.
In a statement to The Independent, she said, “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,” Leavitt added.
The outlet revealed how the post originated, reporting, based on a White House official, that “a staff member—not Trump himself—had erroneously made the post” on the president’s Truth Social account.
The video is no longer available on President Trump’s Truth Social account.
