Trump defends deleted video depicting Obamas as apes, says it referenced ‘The Lion King’

President Donald Trump on Thursday defended the posting of a racially charged video depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes by suggesting it was tied to Disney’s The Lion King.The controversy stems from a video shared last week on Trump’s Truth Social account that portrayed the Obamas, alongside other Democratic leaders, as animals, invoking a well-known racist trope. The post was later deleted by the White House, which said a staffer had “erroneously made the post.” The identity of that staffer has not been disclosed.During an Environmental Protection Agency event at the White House, a reporter pressed Trump on whether anyone had faced consequences.

“Mr. President, have you fired or disciplined that staffer who posted the video from your account that included the Obamas?” the reporter asked.“No, I haven't,” Trump replied. “That was a video on, as you know, voter fraud and fairly long video, and they had a little piece and had to do with the Lion King.”He continued to defend the broader clip, arguing it had circulated widely before appearing on his account.“It's been very, well, it's been shown all over the place long before that was posted,” Trump said.

“But that was a very strong, and I'm sure you saw it, a very strong piece on voter fraud. And the piece that you're talking about was all over the place. Many times, I believe, for years.”

Hours after Trump shared the video, right-wing influencer Laura Loomer posted a longer version portraying numerous elected officials as animals, including Trump as “king of the jungle.”The backlash was swift. According to CNN, Republican lawmakers privately urged Trump to take the video down.

“Sources tell me Republican lawmakers called Trump directly about the post, asking for it to be removed Of course, many GOP senators & House members also publicly called for him to do so,” CNN White House correspondent Alayna Treene reported.White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later addressed the matter in a statement.“This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King,” Leavitt said.

She added that the video was “fake.”“Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public,” she said.The episode unsettled some Republicans. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott reacted publicly, saying: “Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House. The President should remove it.”