US President Donald Trump has removed a video from his Truth Social platform following a wave of condemnation from both sides of the political aisle.

The controversial clip depicted former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, as monkeys.

The video was part of a late-night burst of more than 70 social media posts. While most of the 62-second clip focused on debunked claims of fraud in the 2020 election, the final seconds showed the faces of the Obamas superimposed onto cartoon apes.

The segment was set to the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."

Pressure from his own party

The backlash was immediate and included rare public criticism from high-ranking Republicans. Senator Tim Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate and a frequent ally of Trump, led the calls for the post to be deleted.

"Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House. The President should remove it." — Senator Tim Scott.

Other Republicans joined the demand. Senator Roger Wicker described the post as "totally unacceptable," while Representative Mike Lawler called it wrong and incredibly offensive.

A shift in the White House story

The White House initially defended the video. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the criticism as fake outrage. She claimed the video was merely a meme depicting the President as the "King of the Jungle" and Democrats as characters from The Lion King.

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However, as the "furore" grew, the video was deleted, and the official explanation changed. Officials later blamed the post on an unnamed staffer who had allegedly shared it erroneously.

Trump denies a mistake

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Mr Trump maintained that he had done nothing wrong. He stated that he had only watched the beginning of the video, which he found "fine," before passing it to staff to post.

"I didn't make a mistake. I look at thousands of things... Nobody knew that was in the end." — Donald Trump.

While the President said he condemned the racist portions of the video, he refused to offer an apology. He claimed Senator Scott "understood" the situation after they spoke privately.

Background and impact

The incident occurred during Black History Month. Analysts suggest this "rare backdown" shows that the President can be influenced when enough members of his own party push back.

This is not the first time Mr Trump has faced accusations of racism. He rose to political fame by questioning Barack Obama's birthplace and has recently faced criticism for comments regarding Haitian and Somali immigrants.

Despite these controversies, Pew Research indicates Mr Trump nearly doubled his support among Black voters between 2020 and 2024, particularly among younger Black men. The Obamas have yet to comment on the post.