Obama addresses racist video shared by Trump depicting him as an ape

BBC News - WorldCenterEN 2 min read 100% complete February 14, 2026 at 11:24 PM

AI Summary

medium article 2 min

Former President Barack Obama addressed a racist video shared by Donald Trump on social media, which depicted him and Michelle Obama as apes. The video, included in a post on Trump's Truth Social account containing voter fraud claims, drew widespread condemnation, even from Republicans like Senator Tim Scott. While the White House initially defended the video, blaming the backlash on "fake outrage," they later attributed it to a staff member and deleted it. In a podcast interview, Obama indirectly responded to the incident, lamenting the loss of "shame" and "decorum" in political discourse. He emphasized that most Americans find such behavior deeply troubling, despite its attention-grabbing nature. Trump claimed he "didn't see" the offensive part of the video and refused to apologize.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Immigration and Customs Enforcement 30% Truth Social 40% Republican Party 50% United States ×250% White House ×260% Michelle Obama 60% Tim Scott 60% Brian Tyler Cohen ×270% Barack Obama ×990% Donald Trump ×590%

Keywords

racist video 90% barack obama 80% donald trump 80% political discourse 70% racism 70% social media 60% offensive video 50% public officials 50% voter fraud 50%