Washington (The Palestine Telegraph Newspaper) February 07, 2026 – US President Donald Trump has refused to apologise for sharing a video depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes, despite widespread backlash from political figures, civil rights groups, and media outlets. The video, originally posted on social media platform X, prompted immediate condemnation across the political spectrum. Trump defended his actions during a White House briefing, stating the content was not targeted at individuals.
The controversy erupted on February 5, 2026, when Trump reposted a 15-second clip from an anonymous account showing digitally altered footage of the Obamas with exaggerated primate features set to jungle sound effects. The post garnered over 10 million views within hours, according to platform metrics reported by Reuters and The New York Times. Civil rights organisations, including the NAACP, labelled the video as racist propaganda, calling for its removal and an apology from the president.
In response to mounting criticism, Trump addressed the issue at a press briefing on February 6.
"It's free speech, folks. People are too sensitive these days,"
he said, as quoted by Associated Press reporters present. He emphasised that he did not create the video and viewed it as satirical commentary on political opponents rather than a personal attack.
Initial Video Circulation and Platform Response
The video first surfaced on X on February 4, 2026, uploaded by the account @MAGAWarrior2024, which has 2.5 million followers. The clip superimposed ape masks and tails onto public domain footage of the Obamas from 2016 campaign events, accompanied by captions reading
"Monkeys in the White House?"
CNN reported that the account was temporarily suspended for violating hate speech policies but reinstated after an appeal, citing Trump's own repost as overriding moderation.
X CEO Linda Yaccarino stated in a company blog post, cited by The Guardian, that
"context matters, and political discourse includes diverse viewpoints."
The platform added a community note to Trump's post clarifying the video's altered nature, viewed by 8 million users per BBC monitoring. Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, removed versions of the video from Trump's official pages for breaching community standards, as confirmed in a statement to Bloomberg.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the president, telling Fox News,
"This is typical media overreaction to protected speech."
She noted that Trump reposted the video to highlight what he described as
"hypocrisy in elite politics."
Political Reactions from Democrats and Republicans
Democratic leaders swiftly condemned the video.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris questioned the White House response in a direct public statement on X.
Kamala Harris @KamalaHarris said in X post,
“No one believes this cover up from the White House, especially since they originally defended the post. We are all clear-eyed about who Donald Trump is and what he believes.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries posted on X,
"This is beyond the pale – racism has no place in the presidency,"
garnering 1.2 million likes, per Politico analytics. Harris had earlier called it
"a dog whistle to extremists"
in an MSNBC interview, urging Republican colleagues to denounce it.
Barack Obama issued a measured response via a spokesperson:
"We won't dignify this with anger, but America deserves better,"
as reported by The Washington Post. Michelle Obama's office declined comment, directing queries to the original statement.
On the Republican side, reactions were mixed.
Ben Rhodes, former Obama deputy national security advisor, offered a pointed historical perspective on the controversy.
Ben Rhodes @brhodes said in X post,
“Let it haunt Trump and his racist followers that future Americans will embrace the Obamas as beloved figures while studying him as a stain on our history.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters in Louisville,
"The president has the right to share opinions,"
but avoided endorsing the content, according to AP. House Speaker Mike Johnson tweeted support:
"Free speech is under attack – stand with Trump,"
cited by The Hill. However, Senator Mitt Romney labelled it "deplorable" in a CNN op-ed, marking a rare intra-party rebuke.
Civil rights advocates organised protests outside the White House on February 6, with approximately 500 participants chanting against hate speech, as covered live by ABC News. The NAACP filed a formal complaint with the Federal Election Commission, alleging the video incites division ahead of midterms.
Media Coverage and Public Opinion Polls
Major outlets provided extensive coverage. The New York Times front-page story detailed the video's origins, tracing it to a 4chan thread from January 2026. BBC World News aired a segment interviewing digital forensics experts who confirmed manipulation using free AI tools like DeepFaceLab. Al Jazeera highlighted international reactions, with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling it
"unacceptable from a world leader."
A snap poll by Quinnipiac University, released February 7, showed 62% of Americans disapproved of Trump's refusal to apologise, with 78% of Democrats, 45% of independents, and 22% of Republicans viewing the video as racist. The survey of 1,200 registered voters had a margin of error of ±3.2%, as published on their website.
Social media amplified the backlash. Hashtags #TrumpApologize and #RacistWhiteHouse trended globally, amassing 5 million posts, per Brandwatch data cited by The Verge. Conversely, #FreeSpeechMAGA reached 2 million, driven by Trump supporters.
Historical Context of Similar Incidents
This is not the first time Trump has faced accusations over racially charged content. In 2016, he retweeted false crime statistics depicting mostly Black individuals as perpetrators, later debunked by FactCheck.org and covered by NPR. A 2019 video superimposing Pelosi over an Indian girl sparked similar outrage, reported by Vox.
During his first term, Trump shared a GIF of Obama in a Ku Klux Klan hood, which he deleted after 30 minutes, per Time magazine archives. White House logs show no formal apology in that case either.
Legal experts weighed in. ACLU attorney Chase Strangio told Reuters,
"While protected under the First Amendment, such posts from the president carry weight and risk inciting harm."
No lawsuits have been filed as of February 7.
Broader Implications for Online Moderation
Tech companies faced scrutiny. YouTube demonetised channels reposting the video, as announced in a policy update quoted by Wired. TikTok banned it outright, citing hate speech guidelines.
Advertisers reacted; Procter & Gamble paused X ads, joining a coalition of 50 brands, per AdAge. Elon Musk, X owner, commented:
"Let people post – censorship is the real crime,"
in a reply to Trump, viewed 3 million times.
Capitol Hill discussions emerged. Democratic Senator Cory Booker introduced a bill requiring disclosure of AI-altered political content, co-sponsored by 15 members, as per Congress.gov updates.
Trump's Ongoing Defence and Administration Stance
In a Fox & Friends interview aired February 7, Trump reiterated:
"I didn't make it, I just shared it. The fake news wants me to grovel – not happening."
He pivoted to attacking media bias, claiming 93% negative coverage per Media Research Center data.
Vice President JD Vance echoed this on Newsmax:
"It's satire, not serious. Democrats clutch pearls over everything."
Cabinet members remained silent, per White House pool reports.
Protests continued into February 7, with counter-demonstrations by Trump supporters numbering 200 near the Ellipse, monitored by Secret Service. No arrests reported.
The incident coincides with Trump's 'Board of Peace' convening on Gaza on February 19, as reported by Axios, shifting some focus to foreign policy.