Minutes after the internet collectively recoiled at Donald Trump’s racist social‑media stunt — a manipulated video showing Barack and Michelle Obama as apes — the White House did not do what any decent administration would: apologize, condemn, or retract. Instead, they went into full spin mode, insisting the post was just an innocent bit of political jest and telling the media to shift focus away from the president’s outrageous behavior.
Trump’s Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the post claiming it was “from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King.”
Then came the kicker: “Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public,” she added, according to Newsweek.
In other words, the administration isn’t apologizing. They aren’t acknowledging that showing Black public figures as primates is deeply offensive and rooted in long-standing racist imagery. Instead, they reframed it as a creative illustration of Trump’s supposed dominance — and then told critics to calm down.
The backlash has been immediate and bipartisan. Civil rights organizations slammed the response, calling it a deflection that ignores the real harm. Journalists and commentators weren’t gentle either, labeling the White House spin “pathetic,” “absurd,” and “a glaring refusal to take responsibility.”
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle condemned the post. Democrats called it “a racist disgrace,” while some Republicans privately expressed discomfort that the president’s communication team would defend it rather than issue a clear rebuke. That level of rare bipartisan condemnation underlines just how badly the administration misjudged this one.
The video itself appeared as part of Trump’s late-night Truth Social posting spree, blending election conspiracies, far-right clips, and memes, culminating in the offensive portrayal of the Obamas. The White House’s framing — turning the imagery into a metaphor for Trump as “King of the Jungle” — did nothing to calm outrage. If anything, it highlighted the administration’s willingness to normalize racist content while deflecting criticism.
Observers say the episode underscores a larger pattern: Trump and his team repeatedly weaponize provocative online content to energize supporters, and when it crosses a line, the administration spins it rather than acknowledges harm.
