Trump Shares Offensive Video, Blames White House Staffer

Former president refuses to apologize for AI-generated clip depicting Obamas as apes

Published on Feb. 7, 2026

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President Trump refused to apologize after his Truth Social account shared and then deleted an AI-generated video depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama with their faces superimposed on ape bodies. The White House initially claimed a staffer erroneously posted the video, but Trump later said he had reviewed part of the clip and directed someone to share it, contradicting the earlier explanation.

Why it matters

The video has been widely condemned as racist, and the conflicting accounts from the White House and Trump himself have raised questions about the administration's vetting process for content posted on the president's social media accounts. The episode has also drawn criticism from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers.

The details

The video was posted to Trump's Truth Social account at 11:44 p.m. on Thursday and stayed live for nearly 12 hours before being taken down. In that time, it collected over 2,500 likes and 1,100 reposts. Trump told reporters he had reviewed part of the video, which he said focused on claims of election fraud, and directed someone to post it. However, the White House had earlier claimed a staffer had erroneously made the post, a contradiction that has not been resolved.

  • The video was posted to Trump's Truth Social account at 11:44 p.m. on Thursday, February 8, 2026.
  • The video remained live for nearly 12 hours before being taken down.

The players

Donald Trump

The former president of the United States who shared the offensive video on his Truth Social account.

Barack Obama

The former president of the United States whose face was superimposed on an ape body in the video.

Michelle Obama

The former first lady of the United States whose face was superimposed on an ape body in the video.

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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, U.S. Senator from South Carolina (X)

“Even if this was a Lion King meme, a reasonable person sees the racist context to this. The White House should do what anyone does when they make a mistake: remove this and apologize.”

— Pete Ricketts, U.S. Senator from Nebraska (X)

What’s next

The White House has not clarified the discrepancy between its initial claim that a staffer posted the video in error and Trump's later statement that he had reviewed part of the clip and directed someone to share it. It remains unclear if the staffer responsible will face any consequences.

The takeaway

This incident highlights the need for the White House to have robust vetting processes in place for content shared on the president's social media accounts, especially given Trump's history of making controversial statements. The conflicting explanations have also raised concerns about the administration's transparency and accountability.