President Donald Trump briefly shared a provocative AI-generated video on Truth Social late Thursday, only to remove it hours later following intense criticism from both sides of the aisle.
The clip, tacked onto a longer post pushing 2020 election conspiracy claims, featured former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama with their faces superimposed on apes in a jungle scene, set to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." Other Democrats appeared as animals too, AOC as a donkey, Kamala Harris linked to elephants while Trump lounged as a majestic lion in the parody meme.
The post sparked immediate outrage during the first week of Black History Month. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries branded Trump a "vile, unhinged and malignant bottom feeder," urging every Republican to condemn the "disgusting bigotry." California Governor Gavin Newsom called it outright "disgusting."
Even within Trump's party, the reaction was sharp. Senator Tim Scott, a key Black Republican ally, labeled it "the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House," initially praying the video was fake before calling for its removal.
The White House first brushed off the uproar, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt describing it as an "internet meme" portraying Trump as "King of the Jungle" and Democrats as Lion King characters. But as pressure mounted, including pleas from fellow Republicans, the post vanished after about 12 hours. A staffer was later blamed for "erroneously" uploading it.
Supporters quickly pointed to circulating screenshots, some dismissing them as fabricated. Critics, however, saw the incident as a troubling escalation in political rhetoric.
The swift deletion marked a rare walk-back for Trump, highlighting the video's deep impact across party lines.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!