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Lawmakers condemn Trump post depicting Obamas as apes
he White House initially defended the post before deleting it about 12 hours after it appeared, following swift bipartisan criticism.
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Pranavi Sharma - Sat, 07, Feb 2026
- 00:41 EST
- 16
President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama. / AI generated
Indian American lawmakers on Feb. 6 denounced a late-night social media post by President Donald Trump that depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes, calling the imagery racist and unbecoming of the presidency.
Rep. Shri Thanedar said Trump “posted a video depicting Michelle and Barack Obama as monkeys,” adding, “He is better suited for the KKK than the White House.” Thanedar said Republicans who do not condemn the post “with their whole chest” are “either racist themselves, or a coward.”
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi said the president shared “a racist AI-generated video attacking the Obamas,” calling it “Jim Crow–style dehumanization” that is “pathetic and a disgrace to the office.”
Donald Trump posted a video depicting Michelle and Barack Obama as monkeys.
— Congressman Shri Thanedar (@RepShriThanedar) February 6, 2026
He is better suited for the KKK than the White House.
Every Republican that doesn't condemn this with their whole chest is either racist themselves, or a coward. https://t.co/ZlRxH7fi9l
Something is seriously wrong with our country if the President can post a blatantly racist video clip about a Former President with few consequences or pushback from his own party.
— Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10) (@RepSuhas) February 6, 2026
Remember this is the same president who called immigrants "animals," retweeted a white power… pic.twitter.com/TSgvG4qPYs
ALSO READ: Obama warns on ICE tactics after Minnesota killing
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam said, “Something is seriously wrong with our country if the President can post a blatantly racist video clip about a Former President with few consequences or pushback from his own party.” He cited past remarks and actions by Trump, including calling immigrants “animals” and retweeting a white power video, and said it was difficult for the White House to attribute the post to a staffer given its consistency with prior messaging
Rep. Ami Bera urged Republicans to denounce what he called “vile racism from the President of the United States,” adding, “This disgusting behavior has no place in our nation.”
The criticism followed a minute-long video shared on Trump’s Truth Social account late Feb. 5 that amplified false claims that his 2020 election defeat resulted from fraud. Near the end of the video was a brief, apparently AI-generated clip showing dancing primates with the Obamas’ faces superimposed.
Trump later condemned the video but did not apologize. The White House initially defended the post before deleting it about 12 hours after it appeared, following swift bipartisan criticism for dehumanizing people of African dedescent.
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