President Donald Trump‘s official Truth Social account on Friday morning deleted a video showing racist image of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama portrayed as apes following widespread bipartisan calls for its removal.
The depiction of the Obamas, posted late Thursday from Trump’s official Truth Social account, was included in a video clip pushing a conspiracy theory about voting machines during the 2020 election. The post stayed up for about 12 hours.
The White House initially defended Trump’s post.
“This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an emailed statement when asked for comment on Friday morning.
“Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public,” Leavitt said.
Hours later, the post was deleted from Trump’s Truth Social account.
A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that a White House staffer erroneously posted the video and that it since had been taken down.
The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC’s follow-up questions, including who the staffer was and how often they are posting from the president’s official accounts.
A source familiar with the matter, however, later told CNBC that Trump “had not seen that video before it was posted.”
“As soon as he found out, he ordered it taken down,” the source added.
Leavitt’s initial reply included a link to a longer video posted Oct. 24 from a pro-Trump meme account on X.
In addition to showing the Obamas as apes, the full video shows other animals bearing the faces of prominent Democrats, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Trump is depicted in that video as a lion. The song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” by The Tokens plays in the background.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., a close ally of Trump’s who is usually one of his reliable defenders, blasted the image posted on Trump’s account.
“Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House,” the senator wrote in a post on X.
“The President should remove it,” he added before the post was deleted.
Rep. Mike Lawler, a New York Republican who is considered at risk of losing his seat in the House of Representatives in November’s election, also criticized Trump’s post.
“The President’s post is wrong and incredibly offensive — whether intentional or a mistake — and should be deleted immediately with an apology offered,” Lawler said on X.
The Obama Foundation did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Trump’s opponents may seek to make the post an issue for the midterm election in November, though it’s still nine months away.
Trump’s fellow Republicans in Congress have expressed worries that they will not be able to retain their slim majorities in both the House and Senate in November’s election.
The NAACP, in a post on X, said: “Trump posting this video — especially during Black History Month— is a stark reminder of how Trump and his followers truly view people. And we’ll remember that in November.”
Democratic elected officials quickly called on other Republicans to condemn the post.
“President Obama and Michelle Obama are brilliant, compassionate and patriotic Americans,” Jeffries wrote on X. “They represent the best of this country. Donald Trump is a vile, unhinged and malignant bottom feeder.”
“Why are GOP leaders like John Thune continuing to stand by this sick individual? Every single Republican must immediately denounce Donald Trump’s disgusting bigotry,” Jeffries wrote, referring to the Senate majority leader.
The press office of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, another Democrat mocked in the video, said on X: “Disgusting behavior by the President. Every single Republican must denounce this. Now.”
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., in his own post on X, said, “This kind of Jim Crow-style dehumanization is pathetic and a disgrace to the office.”
