Trump-Obama video controversy: White House blames staff after Tim Scott criticism; ‘taken down’
The White House has issued a clarification as President Donald Trump faces harsh criticism for releasing an artificial intelligence-generated video depicting the Obamas as monkeys/apes, including from his ally Tim Scott. The government says a racist video of Barack and Michelle Obama was posted by a staffer and has since been deleted.
A White House official told AFP: “A White House staff member made the post in error. The post has been removed.” Trump’s spokesman dismissed “fake outrage” over the post.
What has Trump posted about the Obamas?
Trump shared a video about election conspiracy theories that included a racist description of the Obama family, depicting them as primates in a jungle. We currently cannot see the post on his Truth Social profile.
The 62-second clip comes from a video alleging intentional tampering with voting machines in 2020 swing states.
Tim Scott slams video
Sen. Tim Scott, the Senate’s only black Republican, reacted to the video. “Pray it’s fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve ever seen in the White House. The president should delete it,” he wrote on the X (formerly Twitter) platform.
Scott has been a key ally of Trump and supported the president in 2024.
