The White House entered crisis management mode Thursday after a video containing racially offensive imagery of Barack and Michelle Obama circulated on President Trump’s Truth Social account for nearly 12 hours. The controversial post, which superimposed the former first couple’s faces onto ape-like bodies while playing a snippet of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” drew immediate condemnation from both sides of the political aisle.
Initially defending the content as “fake outrage,” the administration reversed course around noon when a White House official informed CNN that “a staffer erroneously made the post” and confirmed its removal. This explanation marked a stark contrast to the earlier stance taken by press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who had characterized the video as an innocent internet meme depicting Trump as “King of the Jungle.”
The response from Republican leadership proved particularly significant. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), the chamber’s sole Black Republican, labeled the content “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House” and publicly urged its deletion. His sentiment was echoed by vulnerable House Republicans including Representatives Mike Lawler and Nick LaLota of New York, who called for an immediate apology from the president.
As criticism snowballed, prominent Senate allies including Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Nebraska Senator Pete Ricketts joined the chorus of disapproval, describing the post as “totally unacceptable.” Behind the scenes, sources revealed that Republican lawmakers had directly contacted Trump to discuss the incident, while White House advisers and allies engaged in frantic outreach to distance the president from the controversy.
This incident represents the latest in a series of racially charged controversies surrounding Trump’s social media activity. The administration has yet to issue any formal apology, maintaining that the president was unaware of the video’s posting and was “very let down” by the responsible staffer.