15.02.2026 19:50
Former U.S. President Barack Obama spoke for the first time about the racist video shared by Donald Trump on social media, which depicted him and his wife Michelle Obama as monkeys. Obama stated that he found the video "extremely disturbing."
Former U.S. President Barack Obama spoke for the first time about the racist video shared on social media by President Donald Trump, which depicted him and his wife Michelle Obama as monkeys. Obama described the post as "extremely disturbing."
"THE SENSE OF DECENCY IN SOCIETY IS DISAPPEARING"
In an interview with Brian Tyler Cohen published on February 14, Obama drew attention to the increasing hate speech in the current political atmosphere. Not directly mentioning Trump's name, Obama stated, "There is a kind of clown show happening on social media and television."
Emphasizing that a large portion of American society is disturbed by such behavior, Obama said, "People still believe in decency, respect, and kindness. However, it seems that the sense of shame in the public sphere has disappeared."
HOW WAS THE CONTROVERSIAL VIDEO SHARED?
The video in question was deleted shortly after being shared on Trump's social media platform Truth Social on February 5. In the video, the faces of Barack and Michelle Obama were placed over two animated monkeys dancing to the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."
The footage appeared at the end of a video addressing false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 U.S. elections and drew significant backlash.
TRUMP DID NOT APOLOGIZE
On February 6, Trump responded to a reporter's question by refusing to apologize for the video. Saying, "No, I didn't make a mistake," Trump argued that he saw no problem with the post.
Trump also suggested that the video was inspired by The Lion King, stating, "No one knew it would end this way. If they had, they probably would have taken it down."
WHITE HOUSE DEFENSE
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Trump in a statement to People magazine. Leavitt claimed that the video was taken from an internet meme depicting President Trump as "The King of the Jungle," saying, "Please stop the fake outrage."
In a later official statement, it was noted that the post was made "accidentally" by an unidentified White House staff member and was subsequently removed.
NO PUNISHMENT FOR THE RESPONSIBLE PARTY
When a reporter asked on February 12 whether the person who shared the video had been removed from their position, Trump replied, "No." The White House also did not provide details on whether the staff member in question faced any disciplinary action.
Obama's statements have reignited discussions about the election process and political language in the U.S., while the video also resonated widely in the international public sphere.