Ex-US president Obama breaks silence on racist video shared by Trump depicting him, Michelle as apes
Former US President has responded indirectly to a racist video shared on the social media account of President , saying the “shame” and “decorum” that once shaped public office have eroded according to BBC.
The controversial clip featured an image portraying Obama and former First Lady as apes, sparking condemnation from both Democrats and Republicans. Initially, the White House dismissed criticism as “fake outrage”, later attributing the post to a staff member before deleting it.
Obama made the remarks during a conversation with liberal podcaster , who referenced the post while asking about the state of political discourse. The video — set to the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight — appeared at the end of a longer clip shared on Trump’s Truth Social account promoting unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election.
The post drew backlash from several politicians, including members of Trump’s own party. Senator described it as “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House”. The imagery echoed long-standing racist stereotypes comparing Black people to monkeys and was reportedly sourced from a meme shared on X by a conservative creator.
Trump later told reporters he “didn’t see” the portion of the video featuring the Obamas and insisted, “I didn’t make a mistake,” when questioned about a possible apology.
In the 47-minute podcast released Saturday, Obama said public conversation in the US “has devolved to a level of cruelty that we haven’t seen before”. Responding to the incident without mentioning Trump by name, he noted that most Americans find such behaviour troubling.
“It’s important to recognise that the majority of the American people find this behaviour deeply troubling.
“It is true that it gets attention. It’s true that it’s a distraction.”
Obama added that despite what he described as a “clown show” on social media and television, many Americans still value decency and respect.
“And what is true is that there doesn’t seem to be any shame about this among people who used to feel like you had to have some sort of decorum and a sense of propriety and respect for the office, right?
“That’s been lost.”
During the interview, Obama also addressed peaceful protests against immigration enforcement operations, electoral redistricting, and his upcoming presidential library set to open in Chicago next year.