Former President Barack Obama addressed a racist video meme shared from President Donald Trump’s Truth Social account during a recent interview with journalist Brian Tyler Cohen, published Saturday.
“The majority of the American people find this behavior deeply troubling,” Obama said, calling the post a distraction while arguing that many Americans still value “decency, courtesy, kindness.”
Background and backlash
The Truth Social post, shared last Thursday, included a roughly one-minute video narrated around alleged voting irregularities in the 2020 election. Near the end, it briefly showed Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama with their faces edited onto the bodies of what appeared to be apes, set to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” The imagery drew comparisons to longstanding racist caricatures depicting Black people as apes or monkeys.
Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina condemned the post on X, saying he hoped it was fake and calling it “the most racist thing” he had seen from the White House. Other Republicans also criticized the video.
After bipartisan backlash, the clip was removed. White House officials later said a staffer “erroneously made the post.” Trump declined to apologize, saying, “I didn’t make a mistake.”
What Obama said
In the interview, Cohen asked Obama how the country moves forward amid what he described as a degrading public discourse. Obama said the behavior attracts attention and functions as a diversion, but added that he continues to meet people across the country who still believe in basic decency.
He also described modern political media as a “clown show” and said a sense of decorum and respect for the office has eroded, with little apparent shame among those who once believed public officials should maintain propriety.
Reactions from elected officials
Trump told reporters the post focused on voter fraud and claimed “nobody knew” the clip was at the end. He said he didn’t watch the full video and that his team posted it.
Republican lawmakers including Sens. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska and John Curtis of Utah publicly criticized the post, saying the racist context was obvious and the post was inexcusable. Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio called the images offensive and said Trump should apologize.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries responded in a sharply worded social media video denouncing Trump’s behavior and urging Republican leaders to condemn it.
Separate comments in the same interview
In another portion of the interview, Obama commented on the ongoing public fascination with extraterrestrial life. He joked about conspiracy theories involving Area 51 and suggested that if there were hidden facilities, it would be unlikely such secrets could be kept from a president.
