Trump at the America Business Forum on Nov. 5. Courtesy of Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Donald Trump sparked outrage over a video he posted late Thursday night and then deleted on Friday morning, in which he mocks former President Barack Obama and wife Michelle Obama as animated apes. "A White House staffer erroneously made the post. It has been taken down," a White House official on background told The Hollywood Reporter on Friday. The 62-second video when still on the Truth Social site at its end depicted Obama, the first Black U.S. president, and the former first lady as apes and characters from the Lion King musical where they are dancing to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." Related Stories General News Mark Ruffalo Tells Kevin O'Leary to "STFU" After He Slams Billie Eilish's Anti-ICE Grammys Speech Music Finneas O'Connell Claps Back at "Old White Men" Who Criticized Billie Eilish's Grammys Speech The video itself discussed false election fraud claims surrounding the 2020 presidential election, which Trump lost to Joe Biden. That includes conspiracy theories around Dominion Voting Systems as a manufacturer of voting equipment, which in turn led to Fox Corp. in 2023 settling a high-profile defamation case for $787 million with the ballot-counting company. Before it was deleted, the Truth Social video generated widespread backlash online. California governor Gavin Newsom, a Trump critic, on his X account wrote, "Disgusting behavior by the president. Every single Republican must denounce this. Now." Former Obama advisor Ben Rhodes also called out the video depiction of the Obamas on his X account. "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," he wrote. Elsewhere, South Carolina Republican Senator Tim Scott wrote: "Praying it was fake because it's the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House. The President should remove it." THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Timothy Busfield Timothy Busfield Indicted on Child Sexual Abuse Charges politics Mark Ruffalo Tells Kevin O'Leary to "STFU" After He Slams Billie Eilish's Anti-ICE Grammys Speech Savannah Guthrie Savannah Guthrie's Brother Addresses Suspected Kidnappers of Mother Nancy Guthrie in New Video Today Nancy Guthrie's Disappearance Sees FBI Offer $50K Reward For Significant Leads in Case Ted Sarandos How Award Show Speeches Are Slowly Going Activist Again THR Cover Story How Paris Hilton Invented the Influencer Economy. "I Was Just Living My Life and the Paparazzi Followed My Every Move" Timothy Busfield Timothy Busfield Indicted on Child Sexual Abuse Charges politics Mark Ruffalo Tells Kevin O'Leary to "STFU" After He Slams Billie Eilish's Anti-ICE Grammys Speech Savannah Guthrie Savannah Guthrie's Brother Addresses Suspected Kidnappers of Mother Nancy Guthrie in New Video Today Nancy Guthrie's Disappearance Sees FBI Offer $50K Reward For Significant Leads in Case Ted Sarandos How Award Show Speeches Are Slowly Going Activist Again THR Cover Story How Paris Hilton Invented the Influencer Economy. "I Was Just Living My Life and the Paparazzi Followed My Every Move"