Video Posted by Trump Portrays Obamas as Apes

White House dismisses criticism, calls video part of Lion King meme context
Posted Feb 6, 2026 9:57 AM CST
Video Posted by Trump Has Clip of Obamas as Apes
President Trump speaks about TrumpRx in the South Court Auditorium in the Old Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, in Washington.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Trump went on a Truth Social posting spree overnight, and one of the videos he put up includes a clip of Barack and Michelle Obama depicted as apes. Democrats are incredulous, while the White House is accusing them of "fake outrage." The details:

  • The video: The clip of the Obamas appears near the end of a minute-long video alleging voting irregularities in the 2020 election, reports USA Today. The video itself is from PatriotNewsOutlet.com, though the Obama snippet was taken from an earlier video made by a MAGA meme creator, notes Axios. The earlier video, set to a Lion King theme, lampooned other Democratic figures as well. Hillary Clinton was a warthog, notes Deadline.

  • Democrats: "Disgusting behavior by the President," tweeted California Gov. Gavin Newsom. "Every single Republican must denounce this. Now." Rep. Herb Conaway called Trump "a vile racist old man," adding: "The people in the @HouseGOP that don't speak out on this, I'm going to assume you support this racism."
  • White House: Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to the criticism on Friday. "This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King," she said. "Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public."

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