Former US President Barack Obama has spoken out for the first time about Trump’s recent racist video of him and his wife Michelle that he posted on the Truth Social website. In an interview with journalist Brian Taylor Cohen, he called his successor’s behavior “deeply disturbing” and called it a “clown performance.”“Just a few days ago, Donald Trump put a picture of you on an ape, with your face on an ape’s body — and again we see a shift in power,” Cohen said. “How do we get back from where we fell?” he asked. Obama, 64, said most Americans found the behavior deeply disturbing. While this raises eyebrows and distracts, he claims there are still people in this country who believe in the values of decency, courtesy and kindness. “First of all, I think it’s important to recognize that a majority of the American people are deeply disturbed by this behavior,” Obama responded. “Definitely, it raises eyebrows. Sure, it’s distracting, but as I travel around the country, and when you travel around the country, you meet people – they still believe in decency, politeness, and kindness. “He said there was “a kind of clown show” going on on social media and television, adding that a sense of decorum in the office had been lost. “The truth is, there doesn’t seem to be any shame in that for people who used to think there had to be a certain sense of decorum, etiquette and respect for the office. So now that’s gone,” he added. This is the first time Obama has spoken publicly about the now-deleted racist video the president posted on Truth Social on February 6, 2026. Animated versions of Barack and Michelle Obama were depicted as apes while “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” played in the background. While the post sparked outrage online, Trump claimed he “did not see” the racist content in it, adding that he “did not make a mistake” while refusing to apologize. Elsewhere in the interview, Obama praised Bad Bunny’s halftime performance at Super Bowl LX. He said people who don’t speak Spanish and have never been to Puerto Rico are enjoying the artist’s performance. “It’s a reminder of what Dr. King said a beloved community should be like … where there’s room for everyone. I think that’s where we win,” he said, while also acknowledging that “not all lyrics are politically correct.“
