Washington, DC — Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., publicly called on President Donald Trump to remove a Truth Social video that depicts former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as monkeys, saying the imagery was racist and unacceptable.
“Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House,” Scott wrote on X. “The President should remove it.”
The video, which Trump reposted on his Truth Social account, primarily focused on election-counting technology but ended with several seconds showing what appeared to be an AI-generated image of the Obamas’ faces superimposed onto monkeys. The imagery echoes a long-standing racist trope historically used to demean Black Americans.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the post, characterizing it as part of an internet meme referencing The Lion King. She dismissed the backlash as “fake outrage” and declined to indicate whether the president would delete the video or issue an apology.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., joined Scott in condemning the post, calling it “wrong and incredibly offensive” and urging Trump to remove it immediately with an apology. Democratic leaders across federal and state offices also denounced the repost. Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., a former U.S. ambassador under Obama, described the post as deeply troubling, noting it appeared during the first week of Black History Month.
As of publication, the video remained online, and the White House has not acknowledged any plans to take it down.
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