The video, which Trump shared twice early Friday, was posted alongside claims of irregularities in the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Joe Biden.
US President Donald Trump has removed a video from his Truth Social account that depicted former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as monkeys, following criticism from across the political spectrum, including members of his own party.
The video, which Trump shared twice early Friday, was posted alongside claims of irregularities in the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Joe Biden.
Barack and Michelle Obama appeared only at the end of the clip as AI-generated monkey figures dancing to the tune of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” a song popularised by Disney’s The Lion King.
Checks by ShortnSharp confirmed that the clip was later deleted from Trump’s account.
The post drew strong reactions, with several Republicans reportedly calling it “unacceptable” and “racist,” and urging Trump to remove it and apologise.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt initially defended the post, describing it as an internet meme portraying Trump as the “King of the Jungle” and Democrats as characters from The Lion King.
Leavitt said, “Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”
However, a White House official later told NBC News that the video had been published in error by a staff member. It was eventually taken down shortly before noon.
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