Trump removes racist video after backlash

New Delhi, Feb 7: US President Donald Trump has removed a social media video that included a racist clip depicting former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes, reports the BBC. The clip appeared at the end of a 62-second video shared on Trump’s Truth Social account, which also contained claims about voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. The video was set to the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight.

The post triggered strong criticism, including from within Trump’s own Republican Party. Senator Tim Scott, a Black Republican from South Carolina, described it as “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House” and called for its removal, reports the BBC. Initially, the White House defended the video as an “internet meme” and accused critics of “fake outrage”. However, following growing backlash from several Republican lawmakers, the post was taken down. A White House official later said the video had been posted “erroneously” by a staff member. The clip appears to have originated from a post shared on X by a conservative meme creator and also showed other Democratic leaders depicted as animals. The BBC reported that criticism continued even after the post was removed, with several politicians calling the video racist, offensive and unacceptable.