Donald Trump drew fierce condemnation on Friday after he went on a social media-sharing rampage on his Truth Social platform that included a clip parroting his 2020 election conspiracy theories — but also depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as what appeared to be a cartoon chimpanzee and gorilla.
The 62-second clip cut briefly at the 59-second point to show footage of the Obamas’ faces superimposed on the animals’ bodies.
It is set to the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”
The full video can be seen here.
Trump, for years, boosted the baseless and racist birther theory that Barack Obama was not born in the United States and was therefore an illegitimate president.
Critics said his posting of the video showed “there’s no bottom.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) press office slammed it as “disgusting behavior by the President” and called on “every single Republican” to denounce it.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, however, defended the president’s post.
In a statement sent to JS, she said: “This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King.”
“Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public,” she added. Leavitt also shared a link to the mentioned meme video.
