Trump refuses to apologize after posting racist AI video depicting Obamas as apes

President Trump posted a video on Truth Social late on February 5, 2026, containing AI-generated imagery depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as primates — invoking the longstanding racist trope of comparing Black people to animals. The post remained online for nearly 12 hours before the White House deleted it amid bipartisan backlash. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt initially defended it as an internet meme; Trump said on February 6 that he did not make a mistake and declined to apologize.