Trump Shares Racist Video Depicting Obamas as Primates

The former president's social media post immediately drew backlash for its treatment of the nation's first Black president and first lady.

Published on Feb. 6, 2026

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President Donald Trump used his social media account to share a video about election conspiracy theories that includes a racist depiction of former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as primates in a jungle. The video was part of a flurry of social media activity that amplified Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

Why it matters

Trump's post is the latest example of the former president using racist rhetoric and imagery to attack his political opponents. This behavior has a long history, dating back to Trump's promotion of the false 'birther' conspiracy theory about Obama's birthplace. The video also reflects the broader spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories on social media platforms.

The details

The 62-second clip appears to be from a conservative video alleging deliberate tampering with voting machines in battleground states during the 2020 election. At the 60-second mark, there is a quick scene of two primates with the Obamas' faces imposed on them. These frames were taken from a longer video previously circulated by a conservative meme maker, which depicts Trump as the 'King of the Jungle' and shows Democratic leaders as animals.

  • On February 6, 2026, Trump shared the racist video on his social media account.

The players

Donald Trump

The former president of the United States who shared the racist video on his social media account.

Barack Obama

The 44th president of the United States, who was depicted as a primate in the racist video.

Michelle Obama

The wife of former President Barack Obama, who was also depicted as a primate in the racist video.

Karoline Leavitt

The White House press secretary who defended Trump's post and dismissed the criticism as "fake outrage".

Tim Scott

A Republican senator who is Black and criticized the post, calling it "the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House".

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What they’re saying

“Praying it was fake because it's the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House. The President should remove it.”

— Tim Scott, Republican Senator (Social media)

“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 and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”

— Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary (Text)

The takeaway

Trump's post is the latest example of the former president's use of racist rhetoric and imagery to attack his political opponents, which has a long history dating back to his promotion of the false 'birther' conspiracy theory about Obama's birthplace. This behavior reflects the broader spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories on social media platforms, which can have harmful impacts on public discourse and social cohesion.