Trump Draws Backlash for Sharing Video Depicting Obamas as Monkeys: 'This Is Overt Racism'

President Donald Trump is facing criticism after sharing a video on his Truth Social platform that depicts former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama with their faces superimposed on monkeys, along with new false claims about the 2020 election.

The one-minute video, originally produced by outlet Patriot News, repeats allegations that ballot-counting company Dominion Voting Systems helped steal the 2020 election in favor of Joe Biden. Near the end of the clip, the Obamas' faces appear on animated monkeys while the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" plays. As of Friday morning, the post had received thousands of likes and reposts.

Political strategist Adam Parkhomenko condemned the imagery in a post on X, writing: "This is overt racism. Full stop. There's no 'misinterpretation' and no excuse. This is who he is, who he's always been, and why he should never be anywhere near power again."

California Gov. Gavin Newsom's press office also criticized the post, stating: "Disgusting behavior by the President. Every single Republican must denounce this. Now."

Ben Rhodes, a former deputy national security adviser under Obama, wrote on X: "Let it haunt Trump and his racist followers that future Americans will embrace the Obamas as beloved figures while studying him as a stain on our history."

Besides the controversial images of the Obamas, the video includes claims that voting machines in battleground states were manipulated, that hidden wireless modems transmitted vote data, and that counting pauses were used to alter results. Courts, state officials, and federal agencies previously found no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Dominion reached a $787.5 million defamation settlement with Fox News in 2023 over similar allegations.

In recent statements, Trump has also suggested the federal government should take greater control over election administration, a proposal legal scholars say conflicts with the Constitution's delegation of election management to the states.

The post was part of a series of more than 60 overnight messages Trump shared on Truth Social, including renewed election claims and political attacks.

Originally published on Latin Times