The White House has retracted a video from President Donald Trump's official Truth Social media account after it contained a segment that depicted offensive and racially insensitive imagery of Barack Obama, the 44th U.S. President, and his wife, Michelle Obama. The clip, which was an AI-generated snippet portraying the Obamas as apes, drew immediate criticism from members of both political parties.
Released just before midnight on Thursday, the video stayed accessible for several hours before being removed. It was part of a larger meme video that likened President Trump to the "King of the Jungle," playing off themes from the popular movie The Lion King, with Democrats depicted as various characters. The contentious part was brief but distinct, appearing towards the end of the one-minute clip.
Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary, commented on the situation on Friday morning. She characterized the backlash as an overreaction and suggested that the media should shift their focus to other matters. Initial statements from the Press Secretary did not address the imagery of the Obamas.
However, by Friday afternoon, the White House had deleted the post, citing an internal review that concluded the video was not vetted by the President before it was published. A White House source conveyed to the Daily Mail that an aide inadvertently uploaded the video without noting the problematic segment, which was part of an auto-played sequence not trimmed before sharing.
The White House has limited the number of aides with access to President Trump's Truth Social account. Among those with access, senior aides Dan Scavino and Natalie Harp were mentioned, but reports from Semafor have cleared Scavino of involvement. The White House has refrained from indicating whether Harp or another aide was responsible for the post.
The clip's publication swiftly drew the attention of Republican lawmakers. Senator Tim Scott deemed the content racist and unfit for publication. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) and Sen. John Curtis (R-UT) were among others who voiced their objections, with Curtis labeling the clip as blatantly racist and criticizing the delay in its removal.
Democrats likewise expressed condemnation and questioned the oversight mechanisms on presidential social media accounts. The incident prompted a series of calls to the President from White House staff as the backlash intensified, leading to discussions on the subsequent steps to be taken.
While the White House has described the post as an unintentional error and not an endorsement of the content, no disciplinary actions have been publicized, nor has there been any indication of changes to posting procedures. The event has triggered renewed examination of content review practices before sharing on the President's social media platforms.
President Trump is known for his frequent engagement with Truth Social, where he often shares videos and memes, many of which originate from his supporters. Following the incident, the White House declared the matter resolved with the removal of the video, although legislative criticism persisted into Friday evening.
The White House eventually attributed the mishap to an intern named John Barron, as reported by Travis Akers on Twitter.
