Former President Barack Obama responded Saturday to a racist video shared by President Donald Trump on his social media platform, describing the current political discourse as a “clown show” and lamenting a loss of “shame” and “decorum” among public officials.
The video, posted on Trump’s Truth Social account on February 5th, contained debunked claims about the 2020 election and abruptly featured images depicting Obama and his wife, Michelle, as apes, set to the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” The post drew widespread condemnation from both Democrats and Republicans, and was later deleted after being attributed to a staff member.
Speaking with podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama said, “I think it’s essential to recognize that the majority of the American people find this behavior deeply troubling.” He added that there was a noticeable absence of accountability for such actions, stating, “There doesn’t seem to be any shame about this among people who used to feel like you had to have some sort of decorum and a sense of propriety, and respect for the office, right? So, that’s been lost.”
The White House initially defended the video, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissing criticism as “fake outrage” and characterizing the imagery as an “internet meme.” Senator Tim Scott, the only Black Republican senator, publicly denounced the post as “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.”
Trump, when questioned by reporters, claimed he “didn’t see” the portion of the video depicting the Obamas as apes and asserted, “I didn’t craft a mistake.”
The racist imagery in the video recalls historical racist caricatures comparing Black people to monkeys, and originated from an X post shared by conservative meme creator Xerias in October. The 47-minute podcast featuring Obama was released Saturday, with the host initiating the conversation by asking the former president to comment on the state of US political discourse, which he described as having “devolved to a level of cruelty that we haven’t seen before.”
As of Sunday, February 15, 2026, the White House has not announced any disciplinary action against the staff member reportedly responsible for posting the video.
