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THE WHITE HOUSE has said that a post on President Donald Trump’s social media account sharing a video depicting Barack Obama and his wife Michelle as apes was made in error by a staff member, and has been removed.
“A White House staffer erroneously made the post. It has been taken down,” a White House official told AFP.
But Trump’s spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt had dismissed “fake outrage” over the post.
Leavitt had claimed that the image referenced an internet meme video depicting Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King.
This was the initial statement from Karoline Leavitt:
— Alayna Treene (@alaynatreene) February 6, 2026
“This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King," she said. "Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually…
The social media output of the Trump White House has repeatedly gained attention this year, with recent posts from key government departments including images, slogans and music used by the white nationalist right.
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