VIDEO Donald Trump, wave of criticism after he posted an AI clip with the Obamas represented as monkeys
Barack and Michelle Obama. Credit line: RS/MPI / Capital pictures / Profimedia
The US President shared on Truth Social Thursday night an AI-made clip in which Barack and Michelle Obama are depicted as monkeys. Trump's gesture was qualified as “vile” by democratic voices who denounced a “racist message”, according to AFP, quoted by News.ro.
The clip, published by Donald Trump on the platform Truth Social, about alleged election fraud in 2020, includes, towards the end, a two-second montage made with artificial intelligence, in which the faces of the Obamas appear on the bodies of monkeys in a jungle setting, with the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” in the background.
This video contains images of a strong offensive character that may affect the sensitivities of readers. The images are presented strictly for informational purposes; source: Truth Social / Donald Trump.
The office of Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential candidate and one of the fiercest critics of the current Republican administration, denounced the post.
A “despicable behavior on the part of the president. Every Republican must denounce this. Now,” reports Newsom's press service on X.
For his part, Ben Rhodes, a former White House adviser, protested the use of these images, stating that the gesture will remain “a stain” on US political history.
“May this haunt Trump and his supporters, knowing that Americans of tomorrow will cherish Obama as idolized figures and study Trump as a stain on our history,” he wrote on X.
Trump, similar slips in the past
It is not the first time that Donald Trump has resorted to such visual materials. Over the past year, it has stepped up its use of AI-generated content on social media platforms, both for its own promotion and to target its critics.
Previous posts include a video simulating the arrest of Barack Obama in the Oval Office and a montage of Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries wearing a fake mustache and a traditional Mexican hat. Both moments were followed by vehement backlash, with the Democratic leader at the time also denouncing a racist message.
These recurring episodes have heightened public debate about the ethics of using deepfake technology in official political communication, particularly when it targets prominent figures in the African-American community.
